Halsted St. Remembrances (Part 1) ­ Wow! Roscoe's is celebrating its 20th anniversary this April. That's quite an achievement and brings to mind the fuzzy memory of their 5th anniversary party: lots of laughter with friends, plenty of champagne, and then my being kicked out of the bar when I was caught getting a "kiss" in the bathroom stall. Only problem, at least according to the bouncer, was that it wasn't my mouth receiving the oral pleasure. J Other fond memories from my Roscoevite days include dancing to DJs such as Jungle Jorge and Tom-E (now he REALLY had something worth kissing), Rita's margaritas with an extra shot of tequila, Matthew before he became Circuit Mom, sooooooo many pitchers of Long Island ice tea, and the cutie from Alabama whom I picked up, took home, and then touched inappropriately all night long. J And from my "All Praise To The DJ" file, I'll never forget the brilliance of the DJ one Sunday when he played "Twisted" by Angelo Kortez and then brought in "Breathe" by Science Department. The DJ was spot-on that night, much like Roscoe's has been spot-on in Boystown for two decades! Congrats and thanks for providing me with lots of J over the years. Country2 Squared ­ Centaur Music has partnered with Klone Records to present what is sure to be a big hit: FOREVER COUNTRY. Bringing hi-energy dance beats to twelve country classics, this release is filled with infectious and fun remixes of tracks such as "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Stand By Your Man," and "Nine To Five." And while CD1 of the package presents each song unmixed, CD2 is a continuous mix of the dozen tracks, making it perfect for parties, gym workouts, and maybe even a little bit of line dancing. The Elements ­ "OH MY GOD!!!!!" After wearing out my promo copy of INTERPRETATIONS: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF EARTH, WIND & FIRE (Stax Records / Concord Music), I am imploring you all to run out and buy it. It's that good. The 10-track CD is a soulful presentation of EWF's greatest hits covered by artists such as Angie Stone, Kirk Franklin, Dwele, and MeShell Ndegeocello. Chaka Khan gets the CD off to an impressive start with a spine-tingling performance of "Shining Star," setting the tone for a series of great performances. INTERPRETATIONS is proof positive that EWF's music has stood the test of time: it will delight its legion of long-time fans and attract new followers who have yet to discover, or truly appreciate, the greatness of this legendary group. Halsted St. Remembrances (Part 2) ­ Another Boystown outpost is celebrating a milestone this spring as Circuit Nightclub celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Following in the footsteps of Vortex and Fusion as North Halsted Street's largest late night danceteria, Circuit has had a remarkably wide range of events over the years: monthly trance nights; tag-team DJ competitions; Latin T-Dances; parties with superstar DJs such as Ralphi Rosario, David Knapp, and Derrick Carter; and special occasion affairs with the likes of Boy George and Chi Chi LaRue. While a few of my memories of Circuit are forever lost to the then altered fog of my mind, I vividly remember many a night dancing and partying with friends until the lights came up at closing time. I also recall with great pleasure the Alitalia flight attendant that found his way from the club to my bedroom one night as well as another time when the quickest pick-up in my life - 30 seconds of conversation ­ led to a night of inappropriate touching (I'm sensing a theme with this column). All in all it's been a pretty good run for Circuit so far and I'm glad to report that I was never thrown out of this club for "kissing" in a bathroom stall. J