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Special
Releases
Lots of Special Events happening in the coming fortnight. The
most important to the community is arguably the "Human First
Gala"
on Saturday, March 21. Benefitting Center on Halsted, this year's event will be held @ the
Hyatt Regency and will honor State Representatives Sara Feigenholtz
and Greg Harris, Mr. Joseph Loundy, and The Night Ministry.
For tickets and info: www.centeronhalsted.org
On the party
front, Boi
Magazine
has teamed up with Centaur to present the "Be The Next
POPular DJ" contest,
with the last two Chicago events @ Jackhammer on Friday, March 20 (11pm) and @ Hydrate on Sunday, March 22
(9pm). Local and regional DJs will be competing at each site,
spinning 20-30 minute sets with the audience involved in choosing
the winner. The Chicago contestants will then be in the running
to mix Centaur's next compilation POPular CD. It's about time
Chicago DJs got some love!
Two parties with
White themes this weekend. On the mainstream front, trance superstar
DJ Armin van Buuren is @ Vision on Friday, March 20 for "The White Party." Then on Saturday, March
21 the gay Latin vibe goes acromatic @ Circuit Night Club with "AMIGO: The White Dance Party" featuring DJ Roei Rodriguez
from Mexico City. Also on tap this weekend are DJs Laura B and
Ralphi Rosario @ Hydrate on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Final Weekend
Fun
As March hopefully goes out like a lamb (because it sure did
come in like a lion), there is plenty to do on the final weekend
of the month. On Thursday, March 26, celebrate BOI's "Spring
Fashion & Swimwear Release Party" @ Cocktail, featuring DJ Timmy Loop, sexy Go-Go
Boys and the hottest trends in fashion for the coming season.
The monthly "Urbano"
hip-hop
party takes place on Friday, March 27 @ Circuit w/ DJs Kenae, Anton & Corona and
VJ Ink while down the street hunky DJ Brett Locascio spins @
Hydrate. On Saturday, March
28 it's Nitro @ Circuit with the "Locker Room"
party featuring
DJ Billy Steele in the booth w/ Miss Foozie, Sal-E, and Jock
Boy Josh as hosts. That same night Hydrate hosts West Coast tribal
master DJ Paulo . The weekend concludes with two great options
on Sunday, March 29: the monthly "Prince Night" @ Berlin and "Rewound" @ Hydrate w/ DJ Ralpho Rosario spinning the best dance tracks
from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
Mid-Week
Happenings
It's the last Wednesday of the month and that could only mean
"Disco
Night" at
Berlin on March 25. Cocktail is mapping out a new
weekly Wednesday night strategy w/ "Speakeasy" featuring DJ Greg Haus.
Johnathin Florida & John L join Robert and Val behind the
bar for the mid-week fun. The last Thursday of the month has
Roscoe's
presenting
its "Wet
Boxer Contest" on
March 26. Friday Lay hosts and there's $600 in prize money up
for grabs. The following week on Wednesday, April 1, Smart Bar
has "Only4DJs" with house DJs Gene farris, Diz, Lego,
and Frique.
Where The
Boyz & The Booze R
Roscoe's
featured weekly events include "You're The Star Karaoke" w/ Honey West @ 10pm
on Mondays (following the airing of "RuPaul's Drag Race" @ 9pm), "Drag Race
2009" w/
Frida Lay @ 11pm on Tuesdays, and "Male Call" w/ Miss Foozie on @ 5pm
on Sundays. The video bar Sidetrack features signature potent frozen slushie drinks
and a weekly line-up that includes "Showtunes" on Monday nights and
early evening Sundays, "Comedy" clips on Thursdays, "Retro: 60s
80s" on Sunday nights, and "Energy Videos" on Fridays and Saturdays.
Next door @ Minibar, the cute and trendy
crowd groove to a weekly line-up of events that includes "Theme Party
Sundays" and
DJs such as Jon Roberts, Phil Da Beatz, Shawn Edwards, and Jesse
Seely. Just to the north a block or two sits two popular spots:
Bucks
Saloon and
the "late night closing, early morning opening Little Jim's. Cornelia's features cabaret performances and L.B.C. fills up with a pansexual
mix of hip and cool 20-somethings.
House Is
A Feelin'
House music's Boystown home is most definitely Cocktail, featuring its "Super Saver Sundays" with $1 well-drinks,
Pate tending bar early (1pm-8pm) along with DJs Chris Eterno
& Dealer, and DJ Pete Augusta spinning late (9pm-2am). In
addition to the sexy go-go boys 5 nights a week, the DJ line-up
includes Michael Serafini (Tuesdays), Timmy Loop (Thursdays),
Freddie Bain (Fridays), Diva DJs Dhanna, Carla Starla, Tracy
Tobey, & Miss Micheala (Saturdays).
Outside of Boystown,
house music gets a friendly reception in Andersonville during
"Attic-tion
Saturdays" @
Mary's
Attic w/
DJ Plez; downtown @ Lumen's
"Industry Tuesdays" w/ resident DJ JustJoey; and on the South Side
on Fridays @ Jeffrey's
Pub w/ DJ
Dana Powell.
"Boom Boom Room" @ Green
Dolphin Street w/
resident DJs Michael Serafini, Diz, JustJoey & Uncle Milty
continues to be the crown jewel of house nights in the city with
a slew of hosts that includes JoJo, Sal-E, Chi Town Ronnie, and
Byrd Bardot. DJs Gene Farris & Frique make guest appearances
on March 30.
Twinkle
Your Toes
When it comes to dancing early in the night, groovy beats are
always being produced @ Spin: w/ DJ Chris Eterno on Wednesdays for "WTF $1 Drink
Night" and
Luis M added to the line-up for the new "Foxy's Basement" on Sundays. In Uptown
the Wild Pug features DJ Oskar for "Dorian Gray Night" on Saturdays while VJ
Steve Whitney programs video for the Sunday afternoon "Tea Dance"
(3pm-9pm).
For after-hours
dancing, the always popular Berlin has "Cosmix
Fridays" w/
DJ Greg Haus,
"Twisted" w/
DJs Chester & Larissa on Saturdays, and "Stardust" on Thursdays. Hydrate
has "DJ
Jeanette's Sunday Dance Party;" DJ Laura B on Mondays for $1 drink night;
the "girls" of "Hy-Drag" on Wednesdays; and lots of strippers,
Cyon Flare and DJ Greg Drescher on Thursdays. Hi-energy beats
can be had during after-hours with the likes of DJs LuLu and
Mixmaster F @ Charlie's on the weekend as well
as on weeknights while up on the North Side when DJ Oskar rocks
Jackhammer on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The Fairer
Sex
On a nightly and weekly basis the fairer sex meet up @ Closet in Boystown (before the
boys join in for after-hours fun) and at several places in Andersonville,
including T's and Joi De Vine. Star Gaze has "Salsa
Night" and
"Urban
80s & 90s" on
alternating Fridays and DJ XL on Saturdays. Thursday nights
@ Mary's
Attic has
the "Lipstick
Club" w/
DJs Dragonfire & KT.
Other
Boystown Hangouts
On the southern end of Boystown, 3160 features darts on Mondays, "Open Mic
Night" on
Tuesdays, and "Pop
Goes The Gio"
on Fridays. On the northern end the sports bar North End hosts a weekly darts
tournament on Tuesdays, karaoke on Wednesdays, and TPAN's poz-friendly "Pulse" bar night every Thursday.
Next door neighbor Bobby
Loves is
a friendly neighborhood drinkers' paradise with karaoke on Fridays.
The popular Kit
Kat Lounge
has nightly performances by the Kit Kat Divas, half-price martinis
on Sundays and Tuesdays, and hosts a "Desperate Housewives"
viewing party every Sunday.
Que
Pasa/What's Happening?
The weekly Latin pursuits at Circuit include "La Noche Loca" on Thursdays, featuring Miss Ketty's
Latina Review, and
"Noche Latina" with hostess Veronica Zaid and DJs Ink & Alex
Perez on Sundays. Other Latin hangouts include Sundays @ Jackhammer and on the weekend @
Club
Chesterfield.
For an urban
music vibe that includes hip-hop as well as house music, it's
all about
"Reunion"
@ Shadow
Bar on Saturdays
w/ DJs Box, Shannon, and Kenae spinning hip-hop, reggaeton, and
house. The Rails Marketing Group gets busy every Friday night
@ The
Prop House while
Sunday night has the same urban musical blend getting served
up at DJ Stoney's "Ear-Rotic"
@ Mix Niteclub.
Take It
Off
In Andersonville, @mosphere hosts strippers on "Hot Mess
Thursdays"
w/ DJ Chris Eterno, and on Fridays and Saturdays with DJs Eric
Hall and Timmy Loop, respectively. Also in Andersonville, the
bathhouse Man'sCountry has nude strippers leaving
nothing to the imagination every Friday and Saturday night @
midnight. The Boystown bathhouse option, Steamworks, features a "Lights Out" party every Thursday
night, an after-hours setting w/ DJ Dick on Friday, Saturday
and Sunday nights, and DJ Jim B on Sunday afternoons. The monthly
"Bears
Bath & Beyond" play party w/ DJ Dexter is at 1pm on Saturday,
March 28.
Out in the suburbs,
the Men of Sarabia appear regularly @ Club Krave in Blue Island on Fridays while Hideaway in Forest Park hosts
the Chicago Beef dancers every Thursday and Saturday. Upping
the suburban stripper ante, Hunters presents "Hunters Hunks" every Thursday.
Beyond
Halsted & Beyond March
Up in Andersonville you'll find the Chicago Eagle leather bar as well as neighborhood
outposts such as SoFo and the martini bar
Marty's. Mary's Attic features Rogue DJ for "Feel Good Fridays" and Karaoke on Sundays
and Wednesdays. The fetish community finds a home at Touché
with "Hardcore
Leather Cruisin' Night" on Tuesdays and "Handballer Night" every Thursday. Further
north in Rogers Park is the relatively new The Glenwood, a bar steadily growing in popularity.
The Uptown/Edgewater neighborhood is home to Granville Anvil (which counts Loyola students as patrons);
Big
Chicks (and
its popular free buffet on Sundays) and the sports bar Crew ("Karaoke Night"
on Tuesdays). Scot's is a friendly gathering
spot in the Ravenswood neighborhood while Manhandler sits as a gay oasis in the heart of Lincoln
Park. Downtown, Second
Story Bar
is the only outpost left that serves office workers and shoppers
alike while Davenport's piano bar entertains over in Wicker Park.
Outside the Windy City limits, Hunters Nightclub in Elk Grove Village features DJ Ron
G on Wednesdays for the "MWM" party and DJ Laura B on Saturday night
for "Just
Dance."
In Lake Station, Indiana, Encompass hosts
"Karaoke"
on Tuesdays and Fridays and the "Rush St. Revue Show" on Sundays.
The first weekend
in April features
"Miss Gay Indiana USofA 2009" contest at Encompass. Prelims are Friday,
April 3; the Finals take place on Saturday, April 4; and then
there's the Classic show on Sunday, April 5. That same weekend
here in the Windy City, the "90s Chicagoan Nightlife Reunion Party",
hosted by
Jason Versace and Linds Little in association with Gus Karas,
spreads its wings for 4 nights of festivities. Dinner on Friday
is at Prosecco (RSVP: jasonversace@msn.com) followed by a Main
Event party @ Crobar
on Saturday.
Minibar
is the gathering
spot on Sunday, April 5 while the Closing Party heads over to
Green Dolphin Street on Monday, April 6.
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