The Variety Playhouse is an intimate theatre and nightclub located in Atlanta's colorful Little 5 Points district. We present live concerts featuring top national acts representing Roots Rock, Indie, Jazz, Folk, World Music and more.
The Variety features flexible seating and standing arrangements and the best sound and light systems in Atlanta.

Happy Anniversaries to our friends at Ali Baba's (their 1st) and The Five Spot (their 5th). They're great additions to the neighborhood and make a great pre- or post-show stop.

Windstorm Productions is very pleased to present Return To Forever featuring Chick Corea, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White to the Cobb Energy Centre on Saturday, August 2. Get tickets now!

As the guitarist and voice of Social Distortion since 1979, Mike Ness has left an indelible mark on almost every punk band formed after 1980. With the release of his two solo albums, Under The Influences & Cheating At Solitaire, Ness explored his love of roots and country music. This will be a rare opportunity to see a legend like Mike Ness in an intimate setting with his solo band and is not to be missed.

DeVotchKa have quietly become one of the most celebrated bands making music today. A disparate, yet articulate union of Eastern European, Southwestern, South American, and American roots music, both punk and folk. It is music unique enough, performed at virtuosic degree, and teeming with enough intangibles, to rightly be called ‘special.’ Both their studio albums and their much lauded soundtrack to the hit indie film Little Miss Sunshine have thrust them into the national spotlight and the band seems poised to take that next step to stardom.

As an “artist who best embodies the notion of Americana as a worldwide musical language” (The Tennessean), Abigail has created a new sound – a sound that challenges traditional notions of country and culture, embodied in the raw, transcendental music of the Sparrow Quartet. The all-star collaboration featuring Bela Fleck, acclaimed cellist Ben Sollee and Grammy-nominated fiddler, Casey Driessen will unveil Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet in May 2008 (Nettwerk). Produced by Béla Fleck and composed / arranged by the unconventional foursome, this record is Abigail’s moment to “intentionally create art that is more than what I ever thought I was capable of,” says Washburn. Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet became an “intimate exploration of crossing global and cultural lines within myself,” says Abigail, who feels a reverence for both American and Chinese cultures. “As more and more people engage in this struggle for a new direction for the human spirit, we’ll recognize that we’re morphing into a global species.“

When California based She Wants Revenge released their debut album back in early 2006, it fast became apparent that they had created the soundtrack for the dark and debaucherous on many-a-dance-floors across the nation. Much like their Electronic Rock fore-fathers; Dave Gahan, Rob Smith and Ian Curtis had done so before, She Wants Revenge offers a voice and a rhythm for scorned lovers, bored housewives, jaded hipsters, gender-benders and club-kids across the nation, all seductively swaying their hips and pouting along to the undeniably catchy tunes such as These Things, Out of Control and the instant cross over hit Tear You Apart. Now it's their second round, and with the album release of This Is Forever  - Justin Warfield and musical partner "Adam 12" Bravin have done what few new bands have managed to do - to not only beat the sophomore slump, but to have recorded an album that some would argue actually beats their impressive debut.

Since the early '70s, Asleep at the Wheel has been the most important force in keeping the sound of Western swing alive. In reviving the freewheeling, eclectic sensibility of Western swing godfather Bob Wills, the Wheel earned enthusiastic critical praise throughout their lengthy career; they not only preserved classic sounds that had all but disappeared from country music, but were also able to update the music, keeping it a living, breathing art form. Frontman Ray Benson has held it together for over three decades, keeping Asleep at the Wheel a viable recording and touring concern and maintaining their devotion to classic-style Western swing.

With a number 1 single in America, a number 1 UK debut album, and over 6.5 million units shifted worldwide, Natasha Bedingfield is the UK..s biggest female pop star bar none - a bold, beautiful home grown answer to US Uber-Divas Christina Aguilera and Pink.
Natasha took the US by storm last year with the first British chart topping hit by a female in almost twenty years. Vanity Fair singled her out as the spearhead of a new Britpop invasion; she became one of the faces of Gap (alongside Mia Farrow and Common); she was invited by her hero Prince to jam with him at a private party; Bono enlisted her for his (RED) campaign; and her song Unwritten proved to be the most played song on mainstream American radio in 2006.

Sometimes a young band comes along-perhaps they haven't even been a band that long-and they just have it. Augustana, a brand-new four piece, are one of those bands. Fronted by a charismatic, deeply thoughtful songwriter with a powerfully expressive voice and effortlessly backed by natural musicians. It's more than a band. It's organic when it happens. The members get together and they just know. Each realizes he will never be better than he is when he's playing with these other guys. And so it is with Augustana.

The punk scene of Los Angeles in the late 70's saw its share of great acts rise up out of the streets, but few were as talented and durable as X. They were the quintessential L.A. punk rockers that have become a world-class, live, rock & roll band. Now, X is back out on tour in 2008 with something really special; the original line-up of John Doe, Exene, Billy Zoom, and D.J. Bonebrake are set to rock again..

Guy Clark’s been aptly portrayed as a national treasure. The native Texan has devoted his life to crafting masterful, poignant melodies and lyrics that have earned him the richly deserved title of "Songbuilder." Clark continues the tradition that has brought him such acclaim with his latest CD, The Grammy nominated Workbench Songs.

Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson soaked up the music of their father, Jim Dickinson, and absorbed the North Mississippi Blues legacy while playing and shaking it down at the juke joints with their blues ancestors. Luther (guitar and vocals) and Cody (drums and vocals) joined up with bassist Chris Chew to form the core of their own band, The North Mississippi Allstars. Through the filter of generations of Mississippi Blues men, the Allstars pioneered their own blues-infused rock and roll and continue to do so.

Over the Rhine is currently celebrating ten years of music and recording, ten years of incredible insomnia, ten years of redreaming the world, ten years of show business - call it what you will. The songwriting team, that sprouted when the voice of Karin Bergquist and the words of Linford Detweiler first got into bed together, has grown deep roots in the shadow of the Ohio River and branched out far beyond. In the last ten years, Over the Rhine's music has taken Karin and Linford (and the unpredictable array of musical nightwatchmen, metaphysical houseguests and guitar theologians with whom they surround themselves) around North America repeatedly, as well as to Europe for weeks at a time on six different occasions. Artists as established as Sarah McLachlan have sought out Karin Bergquist to express their admiration for her work. Emerging acts such as Sixpence None The Richer have cited Over the Rhine as an important influence.

Railroad Earth emerged from the breakup of one of New Jersey's most popular bands, From Good Homes, in early 2001. Later that year, with appearances at some of the major summer festivals on the bluegrass circuit -- the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, and the Fox Theater in Boulder, CO, in 2001 -- Railroad Earth showed that its music could go well beyond the realm of traditional bluegrass to incorporate folk, Celtic, jazz, and rock music.

From her name to her music to her mission to the circuitous path that brought her to legendary Verve Records for her Grammy nominated third album, Lost and Found , Ledisi is a galvanizing, all-natural wonder. Wherever she goes, she wows and astounds. Singer/songwriter Ledisi (pronounced led-duh-see and adopted from the word that means "to bring forth" in the Yoruba language of Nigeria) is the epitome of the performer that - after she earns a standing ovation - people stare wide-eyed and mumbling, "Where has she been all this time?" The lady will tell you - in a voice of equal parts sweet, slightly weary yet triumphant - "Here...all the time." Three years in the making, the 16-track Lost and Found (for which Ledisi co-produced all of the songs with veterans Rex Rideout, Jamey Jaz and Mano Hanes, newcomer Lorenzo Johnson and longtime collaborator Sundra Manning) is the album destined to usher a deserving talent into some well-earned limelight. Overflowing with deeply touching songs of love and life, the CD cuts a swath through intimate snapshots of relationships that linger in the mind long after the last note has been sung.

Jeremy Enigk first emerged as the frontman of the highly touted Seattle band Sunny Day Real Estate, which issued their Sub Pop debut, Diary, in 1994. In the midst of recording the group's sophomore effort, Enigk underwent a radical spiritual transformation and left the group; although he later returned to complete LP2, Sunny Day Real Estate nonetheless dissolved, leaving bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith to join Dave Grohl in the Foo Fighters. Initially, Enigk retired from the music industry, but he soon picked up his guitar and began writing new songs, and his solo debut, The Return of the Frog Queen, a collection bypassing the primal furor of Sunny Day Real Estate's emocore for a lush, orchestral pop sound, appeared in 1996. His days as a lead singer were not over, however, and the next year the band, minus Mendel, reunited and released How It Feel to Be Something On in 1998, followed by The Rising Tide in 2000. Unfortunately in June 2001 Sunny Day Real Estate officially split up. Just a few months later, however, Enigk came back together with Goldsmith and Mendel to form the Fire Theft, which issued a self-titled album in 2003. Finally, ten years after The Return of the Frog Queen had hit shelves, Enigk released his second solo record, World Waits, this time taking a much more mainstream rock approach to his songs. He followed up World Waits with an EP called The Missing Link.

With influences ranging from Fiona Apple To Coldplay, Ingrid Michaelson serves up a hot plate of infectious melodies, smooth vocals and smart lyrics. Her fusion of indie pop, folk and alternative creates an uncommonly beautiful sound that nudges at the soul.

Describing their sound as "Upper West Side Soweto," New York City's Vampire Weekend mixes preppy, well-read indie rock with joyful, Afro-pop-inspired melodies and rhythms. Ezra Koenig, Chris Baio, Rostam Batmanglij, and Chris Tomson formed the band early in 2006, when they were finishing up their studies at Columbia University. Taking their name from a movie Koenig made during his freshman year, the band started out by playing gigs at the university's literary societies and at parties. Word spread about Vampire Weekend's unique sound and lyrics, buoyed by the band's self-released EPs.In 2007, Vampire Weekend  made several appearances at that year's CMJ Music Marathon and signed with XL Records that fall. The Mansard Roof EP was Vampire Weekend's debut release for the label, followed by their self-titled first album early in 2008.

Guitarist and vocalist Dweezil Zappa takes on the monumental task of recreating his father’s vast catalog live on-stage, backed by a team of virtuoso musicians, and original Zappa Band co-hort Ray White. This could very well turn out to be the Variety Playhouse show of the year.

Buzzy glam rock fashion plates Ladytron came together in a jet-set miracle in mid-1998. Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu, who lurk in the background playing rhythm boxes and keyboards in the band, settled in Liverpool after a spate of DJ work in Japan and world travel, including a train trip in Bulgaria where they met vocalist Mira Aroyo. Helena Marnie, who also sings and plays keyboards for the group, also joined them and they began work on their first album 604. The release brought a wave of critical attention with writers extending into jubilant metaphor to describe the band's unique electronic pop sound.

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A living lesson in fortitude, the vocal trio of Cecil "Skeleton" Spence, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin overcame adversity, illness, and poverty to become one of the finest roots groups in Jamaica's history. The trio's deeply devotional songs, cultural themes, inspirational lyrics, and original take on the roots style had struck a chord with reggae fans around the world. In the early 80's the trio moved to New York city  and pursued solo careers. They reformed in 1987 and signed to the RAS label, putting out a string of strong sets. Albert Craig left the group in 1997, but Israel Vibrations's career shows no signs of slowing, and the group has firmly carved a secure niche out of what once seemed an impenetrable surface. Their popularity seems assured, and they remain a vibrant live act and an always intriguing studio group.

The former vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for The Wallflowers will be releasing his debut solo album, Seeing Things, on June 10th on Columbia Records. Seeing Things was produced by Rick Rubin at his home studio in the Hollywood Hills throughout 2007. Jakob Dylan’s raw and dynamic performance on this primarily acoustic album reflects the continuation of Rick’s spare and compelling production work.

Rooney is a five-piece rock band hailing from Los Angeles whose music is reminiscent of artists spanning from the sixties to the present day. Although they have a distinctive style, their sound has been compared to everything from The Beatles to The Cars to Blur. Having toured the nation with acts such as Weezer and The Strokes, Rooney manages to capture elements from the past four decades and make them sound modern today.

Wolf Parade is an indie rock band from Victoria, Canada, now based in Montreal, Canada. Wolf Parade was formed when Spencer Krug (also Sunset Rubdown and formerly of Destroyer and Frog Eyes) was offered a gig supporting Arcade Fire. He called Dan Boeckner (formerly of notable B.C. band Atlas Strategic) and they wrote songs with a drum machine before calling Arlen Thompson to play drums. Hadji Bakara joined in 2004. Dante DeCaro (formerly of Hot Hot Heat) joined in summer 2005 as second guitarist and percussionist. Wolf Parade released their eponymous debut EP in 2003 with only Spencer, Dan and Arlen performing on it. After Hadji joining, they released another independent, self-titled EP in 2004. They were signed to Sub Pop by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse and released their first widely-distributed record, the Wolf Parade EP. In September 2005 their debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary was released. The follow up album, At Mount Zoomer, will be available soon from Sub Pop.

Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers is a Massachusetts’ quartet made up of two distinct parts. In one corner stands the unmistakably jubilant personality of rock-n-roll’s The Sixers; in the other sits an authentic American songwriter in a period of profound growth. Rising triumphantly in the center is a band whose music is the perfect marriage of the two.

A few months after the band formed, they experienced a harrowing flight to Florida where they collectively saw their lives flash before their eyes. The experience caused them to all do a lot of soul searching. The result is Glassjaw Boxer – a lasting letter to the world about family and friendships. As a songwriter, Stephen emerged from the flight with a new found appreciation for everything and everyone in his life and his heartfelt songs reach out to those he cares most about. Delving into thoughts and issues we all struggle with on a daily basis.

Produced by Whiskeytown’s Mike Daly with mixing help from Dave Bryson of Counting Crows and guest appearances by Mike Daly, Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown / Vocals) and Marc Roberge (O.A.R / Vocals) among others, the songs of Glassjaw Boxer warmly envelop the listener. As strummed acoustic and electric guitars share space with accordions, trumpets, and soaring lap steel, Kellogg crafts an impassioned set of music that is not observed from a distance, but intimately experienced.

Toronto based musician Hayden Desser began recording on a 4 - Track in the early 1990's. After a few singles and cassettes, his first full length record was released in 1995. Everything I Long For marked the beginning of a 13 year cycle of recording, touring and lots of time off. On January 15, 2008 he released his fifth full length record titled In Field & Town. Eleven tracks in all, In Field & Town was recorded and produced by Hayden. He is also just finishing up a successful run as the opening act for fellow Canadians Feist.