Put Your Dancing Shoes On

Major dance partying in the city this weekend starts off with Argentinean DJ Hernán Cattáneo at Spy Bar on Friday, February 26. That same night Hydrate brings back DJ Chris Spinazzola, winner of its recent “Open Decks” competition… Big-time DJing names continue to invade the city the next night, Saturday, February 27, with DJ Heather rocking house beats at Smart Bar while trance-meisters Blank & Jones take over downtown @ Vision. The very talented DJ Ted Eiel bring his Chunkhouse style for the very first time to Hydrate for edition of their Black Out party. This is a debut that’s not to be missed.

Madonna Obsession

For those of you who can’t get enough of Madonna, next weekend is for you. First off there are two Madonna Release Parties for the new single “Revolver” (btw, the Tracy Young Club Mix is fantastic!): the in-city event takes place at Jackhammer on

Friday, March 5 (11pm) w/ Teri Yaki as host while the suburban celebration is the next night out at Hunter’s in Elk Grove Village. To cap the weekend off, Berlin presents its monthly Madonna-Rama w/ Riley York on Sunday, March 7.

Chili, Burlesque, and Oscars… oh my!

The 11th Annual Jack Daniel’s Chili Cook-off takes place on Saturday, March 6 @ Sidetrack (2pm-6pm). Your $10 donation to be a taster benefits the Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce… Later that night, the annual Chicago Take Off charity event to benefit TPAN takes place at Park West (322 W. Armitage). There are two shows at 7:30pm and 10pm. Reservations & info: ChicagoTakesOff.org… To coincide with the Academy Awards on Sunday, February 7 the Center on Halsted will be having its On The Red Carpet Oscars Party at the Fairmont Hotel (200 N. Columbus Dr.) with VIP tickets @ $150 and general admission @ $75. Tickets & info: CenterOnHalsted.org or 773.661.0787.

Winter Party Alternatives

For those not going to Miami for Winter Party this weekend, there are several interesting events in Chicago next weekend. Marc & Fausto and their FeastofFun.com have a live Men’s Only podcast event set @ Steamworks on Friday, March 5.  The fun starts at 8pm and features live comedy from Teri Yaki, Cameron Esposito, Bill Cruz, and Keith Ecker ... Chus & Ceballos, the legendary

Spanish DJing duo will be @ Spy Bar on Friday, March 5 for their Residency Launch party. That same night Danny Howells and Lee Burridge headline over at Sound-Bar while Phil DaBeatz spins during Lube Wrestling @ Hydrate… On Saturday, March 6, DJ Ron G returns to Hydrate for a late night session filled with music as good as anything you would have heard at Winter Party.

In The Thick of It

The video bar Sidetrack packs them in nightly with a popular line-up that includes Showtunes on Mondays, U-Video Request night on Tuesdays, and Comedy on Thursdays… At Roscoe’s, Frida Lay hosts Drag Race 2010 on Tuesdays while Miss Foozie takes charge of Male Call on Sundays…… Scarlet  presents The First Ward Ball, a weekly themed party, every Friday night while Sunday features a Liquid Brunch with $4 Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers… The recently re-opened Rehab plays host to Wiggin’ Out every Saturday (9:30pm) with Miss Foozie as host… Other Boystown options include Halsted’s Bar & Grill (Team Trivia on Mondays), North End (Darts Tourney on Thursdays), Bobby Loves (karaoke on Fridays), Charlie’s (country line dancing lessons on Fridays), and Cell Block (leather/fetish/bears/jeans). The Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club has half-price cocktails on Wednesdays and RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Parties on Tuesdays.… Buck’s and Little Jim’s are always friendly hang-out spots while live entertainment shines nightly at 3160 and during Voltaire Cabaret Tuesdays @ Hydrate on at 9pm.

Dance To The Music

When it comes to dancing early in the night, Spin has WTF $1 Drink Night on Wednesdays and a fun monthly rotation of parties on Friday and Saturday nights… Down @ Minibar, Friday nights feature DJ Shawn Edwards lording over the bi-level party space

while Roscoe’s boom bass dance floor gets worked by DJs Kevy, Ron G, and DigiDave.… In Uptown the Wild Pug features DJ Pervy every Saturday.

For after-hours dancing, the always popular Hydrate presents a weekly line-up that includes DJ Greg Drescher (Sundays), DJ Laura B (Mondays); DJR (Tuesdays); and DJ Phil DaBeatz (Thursdays)… Berlin has Cosmix Fridays w/ DJ Greg Haus and Twisted Saturdays w/ DJs Larissa and Chester… Charlie’s rocks a hi-energy after-hours every night of the week w/ DJ LuLu and others… Jackhammer is the far north side’s late night dance option and features DJ Man Scott on Fridays… The Ultimate After Hours @ The Ram takes place every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with the likes of DJs Ron G and David C. There’s not a lot of dancing @ Closet, but it’s a fun, under-rated late night hangout for the drinking set.

Look At How Big It Gets!

Steamworks, the full-service all-male club, has a Lights Out party every Thursday and After-hours on Fridays and Saturdays with DJ Greg Ellsworth. The weekly Sunday Spin Cycle takes place 3pm-2am with DJs Chris Eterno and Peter Canellis handling the early shift until 8pm and DJ Jim B serving beats until 2am. On Saturday, February 27, the Bears, The Baths & Beyond play party features DJ Dexter, 1pm-6pm… Up @ Man’s Country, the strippers really do strip down to nothing every Friday and Saturday @ Midnight: on Friday, February 26 it’s Sean Taylor, Haley and Camron; and on Saturday, February 27 Jovanni, Alex and Nick take the stage.

Lucky Horseshoe in Boystown has strippers nightly while they strut all weekend long at @mosphere (Thursday – Saturday) with DJs Eric Hall and Timmy Loop spinning groovy beats on Fridays and Saturdays, respectively… Jackhammer and Spin have the Chicago Beef dancers on Fridays and Saturdays while Inn Exile only has them on Fridays… Hunters Hunks liven up Hunters on Thursdays w/ DJ Laura B on the decks. On the amateur side of things, Roscoe’s will present its monthly Wet Boxer Contest on Thursday, February 25. The contest begins @ midnight with $600 in cash prizes up for grabs.

Homes For House

The home for house music in Boystown has long been Cocktail with a DJ line-up that includes Timmy Loop (Tuesdays), Michael Serafini (Thursdays), Freddie Bain (Fridays), Diva DJs (Saturdays), a the troika of Chris Eterno, Uncle Milty, and Pete Augusta (Sundays). On Wednesdays, Twisted Trivia w/ Teri Yaki and

Dusty begins @ 10pm.… House music has another Boystown outlet at Scarlet, featuring Psycho Saturdays with the one and only DJ Psycho Bitch… Every Monday the Boom Boom Room @ Green Dolphin Street continues its success w/ resident DJs Michael Serafini, Diz, JustJoey & Uncle Milty.

Minority Report

A brand new weekly Latino party called Krash has started up at Capitol Night Club (4244 N. Milwaukee Ave.) on Saturdays featuring a show hosted by Veronica Zaid @ 10:30pm and late night dance music by DJs Ink and ALK… The weekly Latino nights @ Circuit include the Latin cowboy set at Noche Latina, w/ hostess Veronica Zaid and DJs Ink & Alex Perez on Sundays and La Noche Loca on Thursdays featuring Miss Ketty’s Latina Review… When it comes to an urban blend of hip-hop, R&B, house, and reggaeton, Fridays is all about The Rails @ Krush, while Saturdays sees folks groovin’ to the beats of DJs Kenae, Anton, and Corona at the Urbano party @ Circuit… Club Escape takes care of south siders on a nightly basis while Mz. Ruffy’s Cheap Drink Night gets everyone’s week off to a good start with $2 well drinks @ Republic (1520 N. Fremont) on Mondays… As for Chicago lesbians, you’ll find them gathering nightly @ Closet when hanging

in Boystown and at several places in Andersonville, including T’s, SoFo, and Joi De Vine. Weekly parties include Circuit Girl on Fridays @ Circuit and a comfy environment on Thursdays on the South Side @ Club Escape.

Beyond Boystown

Up in Andersonville you’ll find the popular neighborhood outpost SoFo, the martini bar Marty’s and The Call… Mary’s Attic features Rogue DJ for Feel Good Fridays and karaoke on Sundays and Wednesdays… The fetish community finds a home @ Touché with Hardcore Cruisin’ Night on Tuesdays, Bear Chested Night every Wednesday, and Handballer Night on Thursdays… Further north in Rogers Park is the very friendly The Glenwood.

The Uptown/Edgewater neighborhood is home to Granville Anvil; Big Chicks and its popular Free Sunday Buffet; and the sports bar Crew, which has Project Runway Viewing Parties on Thursdays… Scot’s is a friendly watering hole in Ravenswood while Manhandler sits in the heart of Lincoln Park… Downtown, Second Story Bar is the only gay bar left in the area while Davenport’s piano bar entertains over in Wicker Park.

Suburban Outposts

Outside the Windy City limits, Hunters Nightclub features DJ Ron G on Friday nights and DJ Lawrence K on Saturdays… Velvet Rope in Oak Park has karaoke on Fridays and DJs and a Brunch Buffet with Champagne every Sunday… In Lake Station, Indiana, Encompass hosts karaoke on Tuesdays and Fridays and the Rush St. Revue Show on Sundays