Poets, Artists & Madmen

New is exciting. New makes you want to prance around and show off. But new don't last forever. Last year, we celebrated all kinds of new and exciting things about the local arts scene, but we wondered if Atlanta's poets, artists and madmen could build on the momentum they had gained.

The answer? You betcha.

The indie dance scene blossomed into a full-on movement, the local filmmaking scene hummed along with passion and excitement and the High Museum mounted its most expansive exhibit yet for a local artist.

After helping redefine the city's artistic identity, a new confidence seems to have arisen among Atlanta's emerging artists, a maturity that's allowed for an increasingly refined and nuanced creative community.

Now that's something to prance around and show off about.

— Debbie Michaud

Best Live Band/Act BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Poets, Artists, & Madmen » Critics Pick

Avery*Sunshine

Whether performing for a standing-room-only crowd at Apache Cafe or headlining at Variety Playhouse, Avery*Sunshine turns any show into an intimate affair. She pairs her gospel-rooted alto and sister-girl lyrics with the kind of Rhodes piano-backed performance that can turn a soul-stirring Saturday nightmore...

Whether performing for a standing-room-only crowd at Apache Cafe or headlining at Variety Playhouse, Avery*Sunshine turns any show into an intimate affair. She pairs her gospel-rooted alto and sister-girl lyrics with the kind of Rhodes piano-backed performance that can turn a soul-stirring Saturday night into sanctified Sunday service. Since independently releasing her self-titled debut in 2010, the Atlanta singer/songwriter has been on a heavenly trajectory, touring overseas to international acclaim and making fans of legends such as Ringo Starr. After witnessing her perform live on the set of BBC's "Later with Jools Holland," the ex-Beatle discovered what Atlanta was already privy to: There's no denying Avery*Sunshine's brand of voluptuous soul. less...

Best Local Author BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Poets, Artists, & Madmen » Critics Pick

Blake Butler

When Atlanta author Blake Butler's surrealist domestic novel There Is No Year showed up in the New York Times Book Review earlier this year, critic Joseph Salvatore waxed equal parts ecstatic and befuddled. In his effort to describe the language-driven tale of a mother, father and son, he dropped namesmore...

When Atlanta author Blake Butler's surrealist domestic novel There Is No Year showed up in the New York Times Book Review earlier this year, critic Joseph Salvatore waxed equal parts ecstatic and befuddled. In his effort to describe the language-driven tale of a mother, father and son, he dropped names like William Faulkner, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. And then he declined to take a stab at interpreting what the book might be about. This is true in much of the criticism around Butler's work: Whether critics love him or hate him (and there are plenty of both) they seem to have no clue what to do with his work. That reaction speaks to There Is No Year's visceral power: It will run through your body as much as your mind and probably leave you mumbling to yourself for days. www.gillesdeleuzecommittedsuicideandsowilldrphil.com. less...

Best Local Comedian BOA Award Winner

Year » 2011
Section » Archives » Special Issue » Best of Atlanta » 2011 » Poets, Artists, & Madmen » Critics Pick

Tanner Inman

Tanner Inman's jokes start with regular-guy observations and then take absurdist twists. He can segue from deadpan delivery to amusingly spazzy imitations of Salt-n-Pepa or literally what it sounds like "when doves cry." Inman's been working Atlanta's comedy clubs since 2003, and won the Andy Kaufmanmore...

Tanner Inman's jokes start with regular-guy observations and then take absurdist twists. He can segue from deadpan delivery to amusingly spazzy imitations of Salt-n-Pepa or literally what it sounds like "when doves cry." Inman's been working Atlanta's comedy clubs since 2003, and won the Andy Kaufman Award from the Atlanta Stands Up comedy honors in 2009. He could be the next big thing, assuming he can get off the couch. myspace.com/tannerinman. less...