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From Behind the Lens to Between the Pages

For this issue, we’re trying something a little different. Many of you know Russ Youngblood as the longtime photographer whose images have helped define the look and spirit of David Magazine for years. But behind the camera, Russ has also been exploring a new creative path – writing. Inspired by early morning walks along the Spanish Sitges coast and a lifelong connection to journalism through his family’s newspaper roots, Russ has begun work on a novel. Below you’ll find a small excerpt from the opening of Chapter One, offering just a taste of the story he’s building. The full first chapter is available to read online, and as Russ continues writing, we’ll be sharing future chapters with readers as they become available.

An excerpt from The Hotel Santa Anna by Russ Youngblood Chapter One The Grand Dame

The Mediterranean had a unique way of waking up. Other oceans announced themselves. They crashed and roared, flung salt into the air demanding applause. They arrived loudly declaring their presence. But the sea along the Sitges beachfront greeted the morning like a shy lover—soft, tentative—sending small, glimmering waves up the sand asking permission with each caress. The water lingered only briefly before retreating, embarrassed by its own boldness.

It was the kind of dawn that made even hardened fishermen pause to watch pale sunlight filtering through the mist.

Poets tried to describe it, inevitably failing with running purple prose.

And the Hotel Santa Anna sat directly in its path, swallowing the early light whole.

She had been built during a time when grand hotels were not simply places to sleep but declarations—monuments to optimism, leisure, and the radical belief that beauty alone justified existence. When the Santa Anna first opened her doors, Sitges was still a working coastal village shaped by fishing boats, vineyards, and devotion. Nets were mended at dawn. Saints were honored. Lives followed narrow, inherited paths, their rhythms set by tides and bells.But the sea had never respected borders.

Artists arrived before the century turned.They came first from Barcelona, then farther afield—painters, writers, thinkers drawn by a quality of light that behaved differently here. Sitges held the sun, scattering it across whitewashed walls and open water until colors deepened and shadows softened. Time itself seemed to relax, as if it, too, had come on holiday and forgotten when it was meant to leave.

Santiago Rusiñol, the painter, made Sitges his refuge and his rebellion, turning the town into a living canvas for Modernisme. Others followed— artists who believed beauty should not be confined to galleries, that art could shape not only how one saw the world, but how one lived inside it. A movement of sound, color and thought.

The Hotel Santa Anna was the willing witness. Not consciously. Not sentimentally. Faithfully.

Men paid for rooms with sketches instead of money. Women smoked too much and laughed too loudly. Conversations spilled late into the night, drifting from balconies like music and refusing to be contained by walls. New ideas arrived in the guise of bad habits and stayed long enough to become traditions.

The town listened. History, of course, pressed back.During the long years of dictatorship, Sitges learned restraint. Public life returned to respectability. Carnaval vanished from the streets, surviving quietly in kitchens, behind closed shutters, in stories told softly so they would not be overheard. Artists

remained, but learned when to lower their voices. Theaters dimmed, then reopened carefully. Lives continued, but contained, coded, resilient.

The Santa Anna adapted as buildings do—with quiet patient endurance.

She housed guests who arrived under assumed names. Couples who requested separate beds and pushed them together anyway. Actors who rehearsed lines into mirrors long after the lobby lights were dark. People who needed discretion more than luxury, safety more than spectacle.

She did not judge. She endured. And she kept their secrets.

Read the rest of chapter one of The Hotel Santa Anna at davidatlanta.com.

When the Message Gets Pinched

By Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C

Have you ever hit your funny bone and felt a shock shoot down your arm?

That strange electric sensation is your nervous system reacting instantly to pressure on a nerve. One small bump, one irritated nerve, and suddenly your brain and arm are having a very loud conversation.

Your entire body runs on signals like that. The brain communicates with the rest of the body through the spinal cord, a thick bundle of nerve tissue that runs through the center of the spine. From that cord, spinal nerves exit between each vertebra and travel outward to muscles, skin, and internal organs.

Those nerves carry instructions from the brain and return information from the body. They control movement, sensation, and many automatic processes that keep us alive. There is a reason the body protects this system so carefully.

Your brain sits safely inside the skull, surrounded by bone. The spinal cord is protected in a similar way, enclosed inside the vertebrae of the spine. Bone forms a protective tunnel around the most important communication pathway in the body.

Even more fascinating, the nervous system is the first major system to develop when we are forming in the womb. Very early in embryonic development, a structure called the neural tube forms. That tube eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord.

Before the heart begins to beat, before the digestive system develops, the nervous system is already taking shape. From that early framework, the rest of the body grows and organizes itself around the signals coming from the brain and spinal cord.In a very real sense, the nervous system is the body’s master coordinator. But the spine is not just a protective shell. It is also a moving structure made of joints, discs, and ligaments. When those parts shift out of their normal alignment or lose proper motion, they can begin to irritate or compress the spinal nerves leaving the spinal cord.

Chiropractors refer to these disruptions as spinal misalignments or subluxations. When pressure or irritation affects a spinal nerve, the communication traveling through that nerve can change.

Sometimes the result is obvious. A nerve under pressure in the neck might send pain down the arm. In the lower back it may produce sciatica, numbness, or tingling in the leg. Muscles may feel weak because the signals telling them to contract are disrupted.

Other times the effects are more subtle. Nerves that exit the spine also help regulate organs and glands. The nervous system influences digestion, heart rate, immune responses, and countless automatic processes. If nerve communication becomes disturbed, the body may struggle to regulate those systems as efficiently as it should.

This does not mean every illness comes from the spine. Human biology is far too complex for that kind of simple explanation. But it does highlight something important. The nervous system coordinates nearly everything the body does. When nerve communication is compromised, the body often shows signs that something is wrong.

Chiropractic care focuses on restoring proper alignment and motion to the spine so those nerves have the space they need to function normally. A chiropractic adjustment is a quick, controlled movement applied to a specific joint of the spine. The goal is to correct the misalignment, reduce pressure on the affected nerve, and restore normal movement to the area.

Pain might be what brings someone to a chiropractor. But the real story lives deeper in the spine, where the brain and body are constantly exchanging the signals that keep us alive and well.

Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C

He Looks Expensive: A Guide to Botox and Fillers for Men

By Steven Pugh

Let’s be honest—appearance matters. In nightlife, on dating apps, at the gym, and in everyday life, the way we present ourselves carries weight. Confidence, grooming, and physical presence often work together. For many men today, aesthetic treatments like Botox and fillers are simply another tool in that toolkit. Yet a lot of men hesitate.

Botox feels feminine. Fillers seem obvious. Medical clinics can feel intimidating. And when men do finally try treatments, they sometimes end up with results that don’t feel natural—frozen brows, overfilled cheeks, or lips that look out of proportion.

The truth is, good aesthetic work shouldn’t look like “work” at all. The goal isn’t to change your face—it’s to refine it.

The Diﬀerence Between Botox and Fillers

While they’re often mentioned together, Botox and dermal fillers do very different things. For men, the key is subtlety and structure. Male faces typically rely on sharper angles and stronger bone definition. The goal is not softness, but balance.

Botox relaxes muscles that create expression lines. It’s most commonly used on the forehead, between the brows, and around the eyes. By reducing muscle tension, Botox softens wrinkles and prevents them from deepening over time.

Fillers, on the other hand, restore structure and volume. Most modern fillers are made from hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally found in the body. They’re used to subtly shape areas like the jawline, chin, under-eyes, and cheeks.

Why Technique Matters for Men

Men’s faces age differently than women’s. Skin tends to be thicker, muscle movement is stronger, and the desired aesthetic usually emphasizes structure rather than fullness.

That means treatments need to be approached differently. Good aesthetic work for men usually focuses on small adjustments that maintain natural movement and masculine features. For example:

� Brow tension relaxed — not erased. Botox should soften the angry or tired look without freezing natural expression.

When done well, no one should immediately think “Botox.” They should just notice that you look rested, sharper, or somehow more put together.

Starting Small Is the Smart Move

For men curious about treatments, the best approach is usually conservative. Many providers recommend starting with Botox in the upper face—the forehead or the “11 lines” between the eyebrows. These areas often respond quickly and give subtle but noticeable results.

From there, small amounts of filler can address structural concerns like under-eye hollows or jawline definition. The emphasis should always be gradual improvement rather than dramatic change.

A good injector will also consider how treatments match the rest of your appearance. If you spend hours in the gym building a strong physique, overly soft facial features may look out of place. Balance is everything.

Finding the Right Provider

The biggest factor in getting natural results is choosing the right practitioner. Look for someone experienced in treating male patients specifically. Masculine facial anatomy requires a different aesthetic eye, and the best injectors understand how to enhance structure without feminizing the face.

� Under-eyes corrected — not puﬀed. Filler can reduce hollowing and dark shadows without creating bags.

� Jawline supported — not exaggerated. Strategic filler can restore definition lost with age.

� Forehead movement maintained — not paralyzed. A natural forehead still moves when you talk or react.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions during your consultation. A skilled provider should explain exactly what they recommend—and what they don’t.

The Goal: Reﬁnement, Not Reinvention

Aesthetic treatments aren’t about chasing perfection. They’re about maintenance, refinement, and feeling confident in your own skin. The best work is the kind no one can quite pinpoint. Friends might say you look rested. A date might think you’ve been sleeping better or working out more. They won’t think “Botox.” They’ll just think: Why does he look so sharp?

An Immersive Night of Music and Chorus Camaraderie

Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt Photos: Courtesy of Voices of Note

Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus has never been a group that simply performs concerts. For decades, the chorus has built community, told queer stories through music, and reminded Atlanta that joy itself can be a powerful act of visibility. Their upcoming immersive concert experience, Pub AGMC, promises to do exactly that—only this time with a pint in hand and a room full of voices raised together

On Saturday, March 14, the chorus will transform Monday Night Garage into a lively, makeshift pub where the boundary between performer and audience dissolves almost immediately. Instead of the traditional stage-and-seats format, Pub AGMC invites guests to step directly into the atmosphere: a warm room full of laughter, familiar melodies, and the unmistakable feeling of being among friends. The program blends rousing community songs, heartfelt ballads, and the kind of singalong moments that make strangers suddenly feel like longtime companions. Multiple showtimes throughout the day—2:30 PM, 6:00 PM, and 8:00 PM—mean plenty of opportunities to join in.

There’s something particularly fitting about the pub concept for a chorus like AGMC. Historically, queer communities have gathered in spaces that allowed people to connect freely, whether through music, conversation, or shared celebration. Pub AGMC channels that same spirit. The room will feel less like a concert hall and more like a gathering place where the chorus stands shoulderto-shoulder with its audience, turning every refrain into a shared moment.

Behind this event—and so many others shaping Atlanta’s queer cultural life—is Voices of Note, the nonprofit umbrella organization that houses both the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus. Founded in 1981 during a time when LGBTQ visibility in the arts was still fighting for space, Voices of Note has grown into one of the region’s most important cultural institutions. Its mission has always been clear: to inspire change, build community, and uplift LGBTQ voices through the power of choral music.

Over the past four decades, Voices of Note has done exactly that. Performances have honored queer history, celebrated resilience, and offered comfort during difficult moments—from the AIDS crisis years to more recent political challenges facing the LGBTQ community. Just as importantly, the organization has created a welcoming home for singers who want their voices to matter not just musically, but socially. Today, its concerts regularly draw audiences from across the city, reminding Atlanta that queer artistry belongs firmly in the cultural mainstream.

That spirit continues later this spring with the next performance from the sister ensemble, the Atlanta Women’s Chorus. Their upcoming concert, We Shake We Shine, promises an equally moving celebration of music, resilience, and collective power. Where Pub AGMC leans into the casual camaraderie of a neighborhood gathering, We Shake We Shine will showcase the soaring harmonies and emotional storytelling that have made the Atlanta Women’s Chorus such a beloved part of the Voices of Note family.

Together, these performances highlight the full spectrum of what LGBTQ choral music can be: playful, powerful, intimate, and deeply communal. In a world that often moves too fast, events like Pub AGMC remind us that sometimes the most radical thing we can do is gather together, lift our voices, and sing.

For (last-minute!) tickets, go to voicesofnote.org.

BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN

BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE

BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE

FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com 736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE

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BOGGS SOCIAL & SUPPLY 1310 White St. SW Atlanta, GA 30310 boggssocial.com

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OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE

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DINING

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TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM 1745 Peachtree Rd NW

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SPAS/BATHS ADULT

FLEX SPA exspas.com 76 4th St NW

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Photos by: Russ Youngblood

We all have those moments of ‘wait, did they just say that?’ Lucky for you, we compile the best of the best right here on this page. Want to join in on the b*tch session? Submit your own nuggets to info@davidatlanta.com.