As regular DaFC readers know, we are huge fans of ICE and their multitude of events throughout the year, from Salvage (their vintage market) to Wedding Day Hooray (their wedding event). Their namesake event approaching this summer, Indie Craft Experience, remains the most popular among shoppers and independent crafters alike. Hosted twice a year, once during the summer and again during the holiday season, the Indie Craft Experience will be held June 2-3, 2012 at Ambient Plus Studio in Atlanta.

“You’ll see some of your old favorites at the Indie Craft Experience but we have some new talent in the mix as well,” said co-founder of the Indie Craft Experience, Christy Petterson. “It’s our goal to spotlight the most talented crafters not only in Atlanta but in every region of the country as well.”

This year they have an added element of cool, an Art Swap during the event: Attendees can bring a piece of art and exchange it for something new — totally free. Spruce up your place and check out some great local finds.

Their popular swag bags are also returning. The first 250 people to arrive each day will walk away with a tote designed by either Sarah Keys of Ibby & Rufus or The Argyle Academy. King of Pops, Good Food Truck and Ursa Minor Coffee will be on site for your munchie needs.

This Saturday, the talented folks of Van Michael Salon (Virginia Highland) offer Atlantans professional prepping and pampering for Spring.

They’ve teamed up with RAW Bronzing Studio, Sugarcoat Nail and Beauty Bar, and Tritt Aesthetic & Plastic Center to bring you the latest trends and tips from experts.

Sip on complimentary mimosas and nosh on light snacks while receiving makeup consultations, blow drying instruction, styling tips and product demonstrations. Reservations begin at 4:00PM and can be made by calling 404-874-6604.

You may or may not have noticed my brief retreat from this blog last year. In an inspired and opportunistic moment, I left my job and decided to travel half the world. After professing my intentions to my friends, my friend Maigh recommended I read a book called The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World. Sounds awesome – sign me up. It’s an inspiring read, much like the very popular 4-Hour Workweek. It was a little diatribe’y for my taste but made some excellent points that everyone should hear.

The author, Chris Guillebeau, has completed his second book, The The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future and is on a US tour in support of the release. He will be visiting Atlanta on Tuesday, May 15 from 6:30-8:00PM at Urban Oasis B And B. If you make it, please thank him for contributing to my inspiration for the 23 countries I visited last year!

It’s Monday and I’m feeling rough. Sign of a good weekend and plead for some good new music to keep me going. Brooklyn-based Tiny Victories released the video for “Mr. Bones,” off their debut EP Those Of Us Still Alive, out now via BirdDog Records.

Directed by Brian Bowman of Nice Shoes studio, the electropop duo demonstrate their layer over layer of dancey hook-filled rock to a room full of hair swinging and eager hands. Stay tuned for their upcoming full-length debut.

Thanks Dad. Insert eye roll. CinéBistro at Town Brookhaven has officially opened their doors to the under 21 crowd with two notable exceptions: only movies beginning before 6PM and you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Lovely for the older audiences but I can’t fathom high school students begging their parents to be included in a night out. Perhaps more along the lines of “Could Alice’s older brother look like our dad?”

“We are eager to offer our unparalleled cinematic amenities to a younger audience, as we have received positive feedback from previous under 21 admittance for limited-time showings,” said Fred Meyers, executive director of CinéBistro for Cobb Theatres. “CinéBistro will maintain our 21 and older policy for shows after 6PM, continuing to offer our refined cinema experience to adult audiences only.”

CinéBistro also hosts a lovely sounding brunch, available in their bar, lounge and patio areas from open until 2:30PM on Saturdays and Sundays, but as it features a bloody mary bar, I imagine it’s another grown-up only feature.

Maybe in another five years there will be more interesting cultural activities for underagers in the Atlanta area. For now, bring mom or dad, or head over to Dad’s Garage where you’re always welcome.

Last night, Decatur Square served as host to the inaugural Atlanta Fringe Festival opening preview party. Barbara Tushbant fittingly guest hosted, ushering forth a parade of local and imported storytelling talent.

Twenty-seven original productions each had three minutes to preview their show for the audience. Scenes about love, death, breasts, robots, the end of the world, and one man eating too many fucking oysters unfolded before our eyes.

Devoted to uncovering and promoting nontraditional, original work, the Fringe Festival offers an outlet for diverse, “fringe” voices to share their stories through comedy, spoken word, dance, opera and cabaret.

In the case of Thimblerig Circus, their peculiar brand of narration involves fire in their faceholes.

The Atlanta Fringe Festival runs from May 9th through the 13th and partnered with six area venues to bring this kind of exciting underground theater to Atlanta. You need to get a $3 festival button (one-time purchase) in addition to ticketsfor the shows ($10 per performance; multi-show passes also available for pre-sale).

MTV, where I first discovered the Beastie Boys, are paying tribute to MCA with mtvU, MTV Hits and MTV Jams playing back-to-back Beastie Boys music video hours. Tonight at 8pm ET/PT, MTV News will present a one-hour live special remembering Adam from its Times Square newsroom. The special will highlight the Beastie Boys and Adam’s career through music videos, performances, MTV moments and remembrances from his peers. The special will re-air at 11pm ET/PT on MTV2.

Here’s a video of the Beastie Boys talking about License To Ill in 1986. Even though they were still openers on Run-DMC’s tour, the Beastie Boys had big plans.

Of the numerous festivals our fair city is home to, the Inman Park Festival ranks among my very favorite. As opposed to festivals and fairs held in wide open spaces, Inman Park’s neighborhood celebration meanders through its historic streets, past Victorian homes, and under the lush tree canopy.

This year’s festival took place this past weekend. The weather served as the iconic backdrop we’ve come to expect of early festival season in Atlanta: warm, sunny, with the occasional breeze that assures you’re not actually going to die.

An actual residence in Inman Park isn’t required to feel you’re among neighbors. Complete strangers, lounging on their porches and front lawns with family and friends, will offer you a cold beer. I mean, if you look approachable. Which you probably totally do.

The bright centerpiece of the festival is its parade. Groups, schools, wandering musicians, politicos, runaway circus types, local businesses and the occasional inebriated baton twirler all strut down Euclid Avenue to the sound of cheers.

My favorite gnome.

Aside from the vast but intimate display of local color, artisans, food and quirkiness, the Inman Park Festival brought about a life changing revelation without the aid of any mind-altering substances: I can tolerate puns if they involve gnomes.

Once she stepped closer to the mic and let out a roar, the seeming ordinariness of the evening came to an abrupt halt. Opening the set with the gentle strength and dark desperation of “All I Can,” Van Etten moved through Tramp tracks with abundant dexterity, effortlessly switching tones, moods, and instruments. The auto harp she produced for “Magic Chords” was a sight (well, and sound). She alternated between destroying us with her haunting, smoky howl and restoring us with wholesome, sweet harmonies in the next breath.

Between songs, Van Etten exchanged witty banter with the crowd, extolling the virtues of John Travolta’s filmography (“but not Face Off“) and his Saturday Night Fever-era hotness. In the midst of this casual chit-chat, the entire audience learned of Sharon’s friend “Matt,” and they proceeded to have a conversation that we were all privy to. This is the hallmark of the Van Etten experience: you are party to her life, her emotional range, and seemingly, her.

Perhaps because of the familiarity established throughout the night or perhaps because their mamas didn’t teach them any better, some folks in the crowd were altogether too comfortable having loud conversations during the quieter numbers. Fortunately, there was a spontaneous League Of Librarians to decidedly shush them. Upon their fake exit – and increased lighting – I took stock of the audience and saw so much diversity, indicative of how accessible SVE’s music is. There were mullets, afros, bowls, and silver hair; Y’ers and X’ers and Sandwich Generation.

For her encore, “Love More,” Van Etten busted out an orange, story-laden, U.S Customs-ransomed harmonium and rendered us all raptly silent and grateful. One word review? Impeccable. Four word follow up? Don’t ever miss her.

Though it always falls around April 20, the 420 Fest is just as much a celebration of the brewery’s signature SweetWater 420 Pale Ale as it is Earth Day (April 22). That basically means you can drink all the SweetWater beer you want because a lot of effort is put into making this festival as green as possible, and not in the sense typically associated with 420.

This year (as in previous years), many of the vendors also reflected an environmental vibe by reusing found objects in folk art, serving locally grown and produced foods and otherwise reducing waste, carbon footprints and other ecological terrors. Even if you’re not all that concerned about drinking beer out of a biodegradable cup instead of a red plastic one, 420 Fest this year offered plenty of entertainment across two music stages, a comedy tent, a kids zone and other areas.

Music tends to be the main attraction and this year’s lineup featured local and national bluegrass, funk, Americana and jam acts beginning on Friday, April 20. Among those that performed over the course of the weekend were Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Cadillac Jones, Floodwood (featuring members of moe.) and Donna the Buffalo. The Relapse 420 Tent also allowed you to take a load off in the shade while watching comedy shows from the likes of 2Girls3Eyes, Relapse Theatre, Laughing Skull Lounge, Dad’s Garage Theatre and other troupes.

For those with kids, the Candler Park playground’s regular swings and slides were joined by a moon bounce, a music tent where kids could play real instruments, a Home Depot workshop, circus camp and other festivities. With scavenger hunts, cornhole challenges, a 5K race, a SweetWater cask and ale tasting and other attractions, this year’s 420 Fest was, yet again, a friendly spring festival that held its own against other in-town events such as the Dogwood Festival, Record Store Day and the Atlanta Rollergirls bouts.