Tag Archives: Nightlife

Gung hey fat choy! Happy New Year!

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There was a new moon in late December so the second new moon after the Winter Solstice falls on January 23rd this year. That means that Monday marks the lunar new year.

Gung hey fat choy! Happy New Year!

People all over Asia celebrate the lunar new year. Since I live near Little Saigon, I’ve seen all the little pastries and moon pies arrive in the shops. Even non-Asians get into the spirit of the holiday. Water Dragon decorations can be seen far and wide across San Francisco – even the windows of an optometrist shop in the Mission District are decked out for the holiday.

I don’t know why the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade is next month and not next weekend. I thought the new year festival lasted a week. Perhaps the parade marks the end of the lunar month.

Over 100 contingents will participate in the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade this year. It’s been a San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush and one I look forward to every year. As far as I know it’s the only nocturnal parade in San Francisco and there are tons of parades and marches around here.

When the weather is good hundreds of thousands of people come to watch the parade on the street and many more tune in to watch it on San Francisco Bay Area television. Will I see you there?

Happy Birthday Honey

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Hard to believe our little baby is four. Honey came together through a shared love for similar sounds and influences. We met through the gay club scene here in San Francisco and the hive now includes a collective of disc jockeys, musicians, performers and designers creating a vibe not scene in SF for years.

The thing I love most about HNY is its mix of alterna-queers, burners, gypsies, faeries, underground celebrities, future legends, and full frontal faggotry with a few gipsters (Gay Hipsters) and a range of bearish types thrown in with an ever growing straight crowd hungry for cutting edge dance music.

 

Happy Birthday
Honey Soundsystem!

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Happy Birthday Stud Bar

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I haven’t been to the Stud Bar’s anniversary party for at least 18 years. It used to be the hottest ticket in town and even though there are other priorities for the denizens of SF’s nightlife these days – it was a super fun party.

The guy who made the badges is dead.

Back in the 80′s my friends and I used to wear the commemorative badges from the Stud’s birthday party on our jackets so I asked the bartender if they still made them or the gift bags and he directed me to the guys at the front door. While I was a bit sad to hear there were no gift bags, it’s understandable in this economy. How utterly heart breaking to hear that the guy who made the badges moved on to the other side of life and took the tradition with him.

The food and free booze was nice and the show was just as good as it’s always been so it was nice to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Happy Birthday
Stud Bar!

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Happy Birthday Tamale Lady

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As an underground hero Virginia Ramos, a.k.a. the Tamale Lady roams the working-class environs of the Mission and the shirtless gay bars South of Market — an itinerant chef who peddles her homemade feasts out of plastic coolers.

She always seems to turn up at just the right time with super tasty treats.

Finding The Tamale Lady at a bar is one of those “Only In San Francisco” moments that makes living here so special.

 

Happy Birthday
Tamale Lady!

 

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Happy Birthday To Boy George

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On 27 January 2011 Boy George announced to the BBC that there will be a 30th anniversary Culture Club reunion tour sometime later in the year and that they would be releasing a new album in 2012.

I’ve loved Boy George since his days as a poser on the New Romantic scene in London. Our paths have crossed more than a few times over the last couple of decades and he’s always been super sweet to me even though his reputation has often led people to believe he’s anything but nice or sweet.

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How Weird Street Faire 2011

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Every neighborhood in San Francisco has at least one street fair that reflects the area. South Of Market or SOMA hosts a number of Street Fairs throughout the year. The Howard Street Fair kicks off Street Fair season for me – officially it’s called the How Weird Street Faire and it celebrates SOMA’s enduring legacy as the epicenter of SF’s nightlife.

Foxgluv played at one of the first How Weird events and I’ve seen it evolve over the years from a Rave/New Age focus to get a bit more Hippy Trippy and then a bit more Night Clubby with its move to the eastern section of Howard Street where there are a number of night clubs to host official after parties.

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Wicked 20

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Everything you’ve heard is true… Wicked turns 20 this year, so for one night only we’re getting the crew back together!

WICKED 20 YEARS
OF DISCO GLORY!

Saturday April 23rd, 2011

@Mighty – 119 Utah Street in San Francisco

10pm to 7am

Presale tickets are sold out – look for a small selection of general admission tickets available at the door – arrive early to ensure entry.

 

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Supermoon 2011

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On Saturday, March 19, the moon’s expected to be about 350,000 kilometers from the Earth, — the nearest it will have come since 1992, according to NASA. And while the moon’s distance change is marginal, a “Supermoon” falling on a full-moon night has only happened 15 times in the last 400 years.

Previous “supermoons” occured around the time natural disasters – including the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and Cyclone Tracy which devastated the Australian city of Darwin in 1974 – but scientists say there is no evidence to suggest the phenomenon is a sign of impending doom. It’s helpful to remember that correlation does not indicate causation.

 

 

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SPKR – Recap

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What an awesome night! All the more so considering how many people put so much time, energy and love into making this event happen.

The gallery presentation hit all the right notes in terms of showcasing five of the most significant venues from San Francisco’s gay dance club time-line: I Beam, End Up, Trocadero Transfer, Townsend, and The Box. With photos, fliers, ephemera and quotes from the people who were there, they presented the material in an easily digestible way that was perfect for the dance club environment. The gallery between the main dance area and the outside smoking area provided a nice buffer between the two spaces and gave people a chance to linger over the displays.

History is not confined to history books and museums. It flows everywhere and one of the great rivers of GLBT history is all that has been transmitted through queer parties, music and events.

It felt so awesome to hear people reminisce about Carefree Dancing and the other parties and events I produced so long ago. It’s an honor and a privilege to sponsor such warm memories and eternal happiness.

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Life Motto #1: The Way You Do It

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It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it.

While waiting in line for SF Soul club, Hard French to begin their birthday party at El Rio, five people cut in front of me. They were joining their friends directly in front of my friend Matt and I. We had a bit of a grumble about it and I just chalked it up to these kids being douchebags because they obviously planned to wait in line for their friends to go to the liquor store. I could tell this because the newcomers had beer, cigarettes and change for the couple in line.

They could have been cool and courteous about it by giving us a “head’s up” and explaining their plans to us so that when the group arrived from the store, no surprise and no hurt feelings.

Instead, they made it seem like they were taking advantage of their position to say to everyone behind them in line, “F-You suckers for not having friends like us.”

My friend Damon said that he waited in line for almost two hours and a fight broke out when some people tried to cut in the line a couple of groups ahead of him. So it’s not just the way that you do it, it’s also the time and place that you do it that determines the results you’ll get from your actions.

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SPKR: The Evolution of Queer Dance Floors

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The LGBT Historical Society is presenting a retrospective of Gay Dance Clubs and I’m honored to be a featured participant. To coincide with the show, the Honey Sound System is producing a benefit called

SPKR @ Public Works

Saturday March 12, 2011

161 Erie Street in San Francisco

10pm – 3am Public Dance Event & Gallery Show

Music by Bobby Viteritti (Trocadero Transfer) & Steve Fabus (I-Beam)

HNY-SPKR

San Francisco, CA – the world’s gay Mecca where many counter cultures are born – has a rich history for creating legends. The city is known for late night dancing, where disc jockeys are regularly canonized into saints, and any ordinary queen can transform into drag royalty overnight. Like most social movements, it takes generations before their oral traditions and memories are committed to stone. San Francisco’s underground dance clubs of the 70s ,80s , and 90s is no exception.

This event will feature five significant venues from San Francisco’s gay dance club timeline: I Beam, End Up, Trocadero Transfer, Townsend, and The Box.

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