Best of Gay Atlanta

http://www.sovo.com/2005/10-7/locallife/bestof/

BEST OF GAY ATLANTA

And the winners are...

Friday, October 07, 2005

The votes are in, the ballots are counted, and Southern Voice readers have chosen the year’s favorites in Atlanta’s gay nightlife, arts and entertainment, shopping, restaurants and community leaders and organizations.

Thousands of votes were cast, online and by mail, over the month-long voting period, and the results show the diversity of gay life in the city as well as the varied opinions of its gay residents.

The marquee of the landmark Fox Theatre lit up Oct. 2 as Southern Voice announced winners in several of the biggest Best of Gay Atlanta categories. The gala event was held in conjunction with the Atlanta Pride Committee’s Community Builder Awards, which were given to leaders nominated by local organizations.

Best of Gay Atlanta winners and runners up chosen by our readers are listed here, along with choices made by the editors of Southern Voice.

NIGHTLIFE

Best Bartender
Readers’ Choice: Felicia Trezza
Editors’ Choice: Mike at Oscar’s Atlanta

There’s only so much fun to have before you need the aid of a skilled and generous bartender and many readers adore none more than Felicia Trezza of My Sisters’ Room. Whether you need another cold Corona or some more Sex on the Beach, Trezza knows how to keep the party going.

Stage Door’s Steve Cernek took second place, while Woof’s Dan Bergman poured his way to third.

Best Dance Club
Readers’ Choice: Jungle
Editors’ Choice: Jungle

After a long and stressful work week, Atlanta’s gay party animals liberate the beast inside at Jungle, our readers’ top pick. The former location of fetish club the Chamber is transformed into a hip hotspot boasting a state of the art audio-visual and light system, cozy banquette seating, several elevated stages and DJs spinning a variety of dance hits.

Second place went to the Heretic, and third went to Hoedowns.

Best Drag Show
Readers’ Choice: Charlie Brown’s Cabaret
Editors’ Choice: Charlie Brown’s Cabaret

Drag in Atlanta has been raised to an art form and show-goers have high standards when it comes to crowning their favorite queens. After being displaced by the city from his home at Backstreet and relocated downtown, Charlie Brown took the top spot this year. Rounding out the Cabaret are Shawna Brooks, Lena Lust, Heather Daniels, Lauren LeMasters, Ashley Kruiz and newest member, debut Drag Idol winner GG Monroe. Charlie’s performers hit the stage to preen and prowl Thursday through Sunday nights.

Camp Drag divas the Armorette’s — Dixie D. Cupp, Mary Edith Pitts, Knomie Moore, Wild Cherry Sucret and Amber Devine — took second, while the queens who work Blake’s tape, er, take third place honors.

Best Happy Hour / Best Neighborhood Pub / Best Place to Meet Men
Readers’ Choice: Blake’s on the Park
Editors’ Choice, Happy Hour: Blake’s
Editors’ Choice, Neighborhood Pub: Burkhart’s
Editors’ Choice, Place to Meet Men: Mary’s

Anchored in the heart of Atlanta’s gayborhood, Blake’s on the Park continues to be among the most popular spots for men to gather and flirt. Whether stopping by for an early evening drink after work or crowding onto the patio during Pride, this Midtown favorite promises plenty of boys to go along with the good times. Be sure to check out its new touches, courtesy of a recently completed renovation.

In Best Happy Hour, Oscars finished second, while third place went to Red Chair.

In Best Neighborhood Pub, Burkhart’s finished second, while third place went to Mary’s.

In Best Place to Meet Men, Stage Door finished second, and third place went to Red Chair.

Best Lesbian Bar
Readers’ Choice: My Sisters’ Room
Editors’ Choice: My Sisters’ Room

My Sisters’ Room is absolutely the place where the girls are and for nearly a decade, this parlor and garden atmosphere has been the space for lovely ladies to woo their lovers. Located in the heart of Decatur in a renovated horse stable, it boasts a vast marble patio, an outdoor stage as well as its own one-of-a-kind Elvis Shrine. My Sisters’ Room plants its unique stamp on Atlanta’s gay culture with hot bartenders, hotter dance parties and the wild T-shirt contests that keep the girls comin’ and asking for more.

Second place went to Stage Door, and third place went to Red Chair.

Best New Club/Bar / Best Place To Meet Women / Best Spot Outside Perimeter
Readers’ Choice: Stage Door
Best New Club/Bar, Editors’ Choice: Jungle
Best Place to Meet Women, Editors’ Choice: My Sisters’ Room
Best Spot Outside Perimeter, Editors’ Choice: Le Buzz

Stage Door in Tucker is your choice for the hippest new club and bar, best place to meet women and best spout outside of the perimeter. It’s one of the only around where gay men and lesbians can equally call the joint home. The club attracts not only the Midtown crowd but suburbanites and out-of-towners as well, with its karaoke events, pool tables, dance floor and themed events. Stage Door also holds an amateur drag show on the weekend, including the Tuckerettes, and mid-week trivia contests. Owner Bryan Noel calls Stage Door not a thundering gay bar, but more a “Cheers” type atmosphere, one where literally something is always going on.

In Best New Club/Bar, second place went to Jungle, and third to Shout.

In Best Place to Meet Women, second place went to My Sisters’ Room, and third place to Hoedowns.

In Best Spot Outside of the Perimeter, second place went to Le Buzz in Marietta, while Val’s in Tucker took third.

Best Special Night/Party
Readers’ Choice: Joining Hearts
Editors’ Choice: Joining Hearts

An oldie but goodie, Joining Hearts is one of Atlanta’s only surviving summer mega dance parties and continues to hold a fond place for many. The annual event sends booming beats throughout Midtown as more than 1,000 mostly gay men pack the outdoor patio of the Atlanta Civic Center. The music and spirits are only part of Joining Hearts’ appeal: In its 18 years, the event has raised more than $600,000 for local AIDS charities.

Gay Thursdays at Halo finished second, followed by Red Chair.

PEOPLE

Best Business Person and Best Bookstore
Readers’ Choice: Philip Rafshoon, Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse
Editors’ Choice, Best Business Person: Philip Rafshoon
Editors’ Choice, Best Bookstore: Outwrite and Charis Books & More

Philip Rafshoon took his dream of a community-oriented gay bookstore and turned it into a reality. Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse celebrated has been a mainstay of Piedmont and 10 Street for 12 years. Rafshoon, primary owner of Outwrite, also turns his community focus outward from the store, including serving as co-chair of the AIDS Walk Atlanta last year.

In Best Business Person, second place went to Red Chair and Jungle’s Brad Williams, and third place went to Frank Bragg, managing partner of Einstein’s.

In Best Bookstore, Charis took second and Brushstrokes took third.

Best Local DJ
Readers’ Choice: David Knapp
Editors’ Choice: David Knapp

DJ David Knapp has manned the turntables at some of the biggest and hottest circuit parties around the world as well as Atlanta events like Joining Hearts and 2-T Fruity parties. Southern Voice readers are clearly ecstatic Knapp is in Atlanta for keeps by giving him the nod in a hotly contested category.

DJ Duck took second place honors, while Ken Benfield took third.

Best Drag Queen
Readers’ Choice: Bubba D. Licious
Editors’ Choice: Raven

She’s brassy, blond and bawdy. She’s Bubba D. Licious. With a razor-sharp sense of humor and clever costumes, Miss Licious can be found out on the town nearly every night, hosting charity fund-raisers and drag shows, usually bringing down the house.

Rose Alexandria snagged second place, and Charlie Brown placed third.

Best Female Local Hero
Readers’ Choice: Karla Drenner
Editors’ Choice: Karla Drenner

State Rep. Karla Drenner (D-Avondale Estates) made history when she was elected to the state House of Representatives, becoming Georgia’s first and only openly gay state legislator. Drenner lead the fight against Amendment 1 last year in the General Assembly and helps put a personal face on gay issues before the legislature. Also last year, Drenner volunteered to lead Georgians Against Discrimination, a coalition opposing the ballot measure.

Second place went to Mayor Shirley Franklin, while third went to Q100 radio personality Melissa Carter.

Best Female Musician
Readers’ Choice: Manifest Frequency
Editors’ Choice: Amy Ray

“What you believe is what you receive. Choose your frequency,” sums up the philosophy of longtime friends Dawn Cook and Gara Coffey who make up the distinctive sounds of Manifest Frequency. The “dark downbeat grooves, slap bass, acoustic rhythms, and searing electric riffs with ethereal sounding vocals” of the duo creates a blend they hope reflects their search “for a framework capable of offering better hope for the often incompatible styles we bring as humans to our shared world,” according to the group’s Web site.

Second place went to Doria Roberts and third place to Heidi Hensley.

Best Male Local Hero
Readers’ Choice: Chuck Bowen
Editors’ Choice: Jeff Graham

No one can accuse Chuck Bowen of avoiding an issue. From erecting gay-themed billboards to criticizing a now famous-for-discrimination Atlanta private golf club, the executive director of Georgia Equality has no problem calling it as he sees it. Why not? When the South Carolina native was outed during the ‘80s while working as a state lobbyist, he discovered he no longer had to keep quiet about gay issues. “I never want anyone else to go through what I have, or give up on their dreams and aspirations because of their sexual identity,” Bowen said. With barely a year under his belt at the helm of Georgia’s statewide gay advocacy group, Bowen has made plenty of waves.

Brad Williams captured second place and Jim Marks came in third.

Best Male Musician
Readers’ Choice: Wayne Fishell
Editors’ Choice: Mike Rickard

Gay Atlanta artist Wayne Fishell isn’t afraid to sing about the experiences of gay men, the infamous “Bubble Butt” included. Armed with an acoustic guitar and back up drummer “Big Peaches” — a.k.a. Kieth Miller — Fishell has played around the Southeast at, among other places, Smith’s Old Bar in Atlanta and Savannah Pride. With his band, the Wayne Fishell Experiment, he is taking time off the road to record his sophomore album, “Optimistically Hopeless,” due for release next spring. “The importance of LGBT musicians making a conscious effort to write lyrics that are pronoun specific can’t be understated,” Fishell said. “Though most people may not believe it, music isn’t something that is passive for the person hearing it — if there’s no spark in the minds and hearts of your audience, then it’s just pretty noise, not art.”

Second place went to Sean Kagalis, and third place to Chuck Brittain.