Surf Expo After Party + Dirty South BBQ III

Yeah, yeah. I know.

I haven’t been here in awhile but this is an excellent weekend to return. Why? Because of these two things:

First up, you may or may not have heard the news about Covert getting robbed while MOT was out of town. Lame. So tonight, in an attempt to bring up his spirits, check out the Music Never Forgets party with Mot, Spear and Ken Sherry at Sky60 (I don’t want to cave to their new branding until I absolutely have to!). And since it’s an offical Surf Expo after party, things are gonna get nuts (read: Jager. And lots of it).


And on Sunday over at the Milk District is the 3rd annual Dirty South BBQ. Etoile, Covert and BETA bring you the dopest potluck party of the year including Dj's, live bands, lola's pizza, dunk tank, bike tune ups, crafts and vegan hotdogs! 12 pm – 8pm, rain or shine (hell yeah, we got down in the rain a few years ago). Donations welcome!


So come out and support your local kids who are doing their best to make it happen in the midst of thieving assholes and a shitty economy!!!!!

My Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard

Damn right, it's better than yours.



Block party today at the Milk District! (That's the retail area by the TG Lee cows on Robinson and Bumby in case you weren't sure.) Highlights include DJs, bands, a vegan hot dog eating contest and a mural unveiling by Andrew Spear. It's all going down in the parking lot behind Covert (2428 E. Robinston St.) so get down there now!!!

Alt. Post Title: I Drink Your Milkshake!

When Black Friday Comes...

Welcome Orlando kids who have stayed in town this holiday weekend. I took the last few days off to do the family and cooking thing, but now I'm here with your leftover Thanksgiving weekend events.

Right now, as we speak (or, as I type would be more correct) The Milk District is hosting one of their killer parties in honor of Black Friday. Head over to Etoile Boutique, Covert and Beta for awesome sales, leftover potluck goodness, potent holiday punch and dope ass music. Party is happening until 7PM.



Tonight, don’t miss an awesome show concealed by a shitty marketing title. The 2K Sports Bounce Tour hits House of Blues tonight in an effort to promote video games. Oh, and Q-Tip and Cool Kids are headlining.



Over at BackBooth catch Too Hot Redux, a music and art show featuring Peter Baldwin, Unique Assassin with DJ Dirty Sneakers and aesthetic by Mokobun.



Peacock Room is helping you work off your extra helping of turkey with their Stuffed party, featuring Latenight Society, Atnarko and Tard.



Also helping you work off the Turkey Day fat are the Spam Allstars at The Social. The 9-pice band blends “electronic elements and turntables with Latin rhythms, funk, hip-hop and dub to create an eclectic, original sound.”



Saturday night don’t miss Mumpsy and Yip-Yip at BackBooth.



Also tomorrow night kicks off a new party - Secret Saturdays at Bikkuri Sushi. This week fesatures LT Smash and Kittybat.



Hope you’re having a great holiday weekend!

Fuck Sarah Palin and Other Weekend Happenin's

Another weekend is upon us in our fair city and it has been well anticipated on my end. My new job as a web editor for a destination wedding magazine is amazing, although nothing painfully reminds you of your single status more than looking at photos of love all day.

Anyways, enough about me. How are you? Big plans this weekend? You should... it's jam-packed full of goodies. Let's get on with it, shall we?



As usual, kicking off the weekend is Get Mental, the insane dance party under the stars at Sky60. Your usual cast of characters, MOT and Andrew Spear, are back this week and Sarah Bitchface Palin has them pissed off, as demonstrated by this Myspace bulletin:

yup.
friday night.
SPEAR and MOT.
2gether once again.
I probably wont, but I'd like to play SPEED METAL ALL NIGHT,
ON BEHALF OF THIS FUCKING STUPID ASS COUNTRY WE LIVE IN !!!!!!!!!!!!

(dramatic pause)

.....there there, andrew.
you dont want to offend anyone.
you want to keep your political views out of your bulletins.

(longer dramatic pause)

..............@$%#&#$&*@$@$(*#*$#(*$.......FUCK IT !!!!!!!
the password for your free admission to SKY60 2NIGHT IS,
"LIPSTICK ON A PIG !!!!!!"
and if you dont recognize the reference then you should !!!!!
10pm -- downtown rooftop
word the fuck up --power to the people---Andrew

Saturday night's festivities begin with a fashion show slash art, music, craft event over at the Say It Loud building. The lovely Katie of Etoile Boutique and A Rare Bird is teaming up with Keiko from Postlapsaria.com to bring you fashions that will knock your vintage socks off. Also on hand are plenty of crafts and goodies from local designers and the major attraction: a Men's and Women's Vintage Clothing Swap. So bring the clothes you never wear anymore to exchange and some cash to support your local designers. Suggested donation is $5.



Next up on Saturday's agenda is brought to you by Hoochie Productions, who will be bringing Andy Caldwell yet again to The Social. I'm pretty sure this is the 800th time he's played in town (Kaskade being the only house DJ topping his record) but that doesn't mean people are sick of him yet. Presale tickets are $10 at the Social box office and $13 day of show.



And who doesn't love Sunday brunch (read: drinking to cure Saturday's hangover)? Instead of cramming in to the official afterparty that is Dexters of Thorton Park, why not contribute to a good cause? Crooked Bayou is holding a brunch to celebrate the birthday of recently deceased Donald Johnson, a local man who helped shape Orlando's dance music scene since the early nineties. Sue and Fluff will be concocting Cajun brunch specials and pouring mimosas and Bloody Marys for the occasion with music by Tard and Dante. Proceeds benefit the Donald R. Johnson Charitable Account.



After you get your brunch on, grab your bathing suit and head over to the Metropolitan at Lake Eola. The SPLASH! Pool Party is the infamous Sunday gathering where meatheads meet scenseters (questioned by Defame:Orlando as: "THEE weekly 'party' in which we all coexist and love one another???"). The mere $8 admission (seriously??? you have to be joking) supposedly includes free BBQ, a margarita, and a free massage. I guess that’s worth it… maybe. Music this week will be provided by Anna Dang, Cub and DJ Dirty Sneakers.



And finally, if you still have it in you, Sunday night kicks off Season 8 of Rockstar Bowling at Colonial Lanes. This ain't your parents' bowling league -- it's geared towards the folks in the service industry who are stuck serving our drunk asses every weekend. Since it's technically their "Saturday" night, things can get pretty messy (read: Drunky McDrunk Drunk). Those who can't handle Monday morning hangovers need not apply.

Good night and good luck.

Pop Off

All right there, kiddos. The third installment of the (de)famed Pop Off party is taking place tonight at The Social. Get there early for free beer.



I'm ripping a Myspace post from the lovely Katie of Etoile Boutique, who also has some disco-unts for you participators:

POP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a no-brainer. Drink free for the first hour, drink cheap after that, and dance your pants off to the best DJs in Orlando. Plus it's a change of scenery. The last two were so much fun that you can't afford to miss this one. VJ Jay will be bringing his usual awesome visuals to the stage, and Etoile will again be selling all kinds of cool vintage.

AND.. if I can add something to Tyson's post, lemme just say this...
It starts later this time, so get down there at 10:30 for christs sake! FREE F_ING DRINKS for the 1st hour!! Who can argue with that?

That said, ETOILE BOUTIQUE will not only be unveiling a grip of new insane vintage and handmade that night...AND if you are good and come during the first hour, I will reward you with a 15% DISCOUNT on any one item you buy that night, and a $10.00 OFF COUPON for the next time you visit the storefront! It don't get much better than that, my friends.

So after you watch my man, Obama, make history (the anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech??? Seriously??? Fuck.) and the sunshine of my life, Stevie Wonder, sing his heart out, go celebrate a the beginning of a new era with the crazy Rocksteady Soundsystem.

Busiest.Weekend.Ever.

Busy, busy, busy. I'm busy -- you're busy -- we're busy -- this weekend is super busy. You'll probably have to clone yourself at some point to keep up. Due to all this busy-ness, I don't have much time to add a heavy dose of my usual witty commentary. I'll do my best, though.

First up, tonight. Don't go see Jeff Foxworthy or you're an idiot. If you're going to do something semi-embarrassing, go see Extreme at the House of Blues. Admit it -- you loved "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted" back in the day. Dear Nuno Bettencourt, I would have 10,000 of your babies. <3 Becky.



Playing at The Social is Japanese cover band for The Beatles, The Silver Beats. Here's their awesomely Engrish description: "Of note here is Eric, who is a dead ringer of John Lennon, not only for his appearance, but for his movements and voice. One feels the ghost of John on stage when Eric sings. As an anecdote, Tadaaki sang "Yesterday" for more times than Sir Paul!?"



Over at Crooked Bayou, they'll be welcoming Mala all the way from the UK. More info on the flyer.



Hoochie Productions is hosting a party tonight at The Peacock Room with Jevne. Also more info on the flyer.



Get Mental is in full effect at Sky60 with Spear and MOT. Password tonight is Blah, blah, blah, mental.



On to Saturday. The newly coined Milk District is hosting a super-dope BBQ in the parking lot for Covert, Beta and Etoile Boutique. The best DJs in town -- Kittybat, Diddles, MOT, Spear -- will be on hand for your listening pleasure and mad sales will be going on at all three stores.



Taste is having a fundraiser for local animal rescues in the form of a Zombie Trailer Park Car Wash. Say what??? There will be bands also - check the flyer.



Tomorrow night at the City Arts Factory is Spoiler Alert, an art show featuring Bask, Tes One, Parskid and Steakmtn. Awesome DJs too! More info on the flyer.



Phew. Plenty going on in our sleepy li'l town, eh? Hope to see you out, kids!

LL Cool J + Guns 'N Roses Tribute Band + Art and Fashion Show

There's plenty to choose from on this lovely Saturday evening. Brave hip-hop souls who feel like fighting off tourists can head to Universal Studios for Mardi Gras, where the infamous LL Cool J will be taking the stage. Don't call it a comeback -- he's been here for years.

Now a second photo for the ladies. DAMN.

Metal heads can check out Appetite for Destruction, the ultimate Guns 'n Roses tribute band, at The Social. My favorite writer, Chuck Klosterman, has a whole chapter dedicated to the popularity of these guys in Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs and I would image they more so resemble G-N-R than the actual band itself.

If you're in the mood for a vintage fashion slash art show, you can head to the bright orange Say It Loud building on Mills (you know, the one with the best logo ever and the orange sneakers hanging from the power line to grab your attention??? Brilliant). You Love to Hate features the artwork of Dolla Lama, Bask, Tes One and a ton more (click the flyer to view the full list). Also showing off their fashion skills will be Etoile Boutique, If You Nasty Vintage, Covert and Beta, with hair and makeup by Alchemy. Tunes for evening will be provided by Kittybat, Kidgusto, and the best Simpsons rip-off DJ name ever, LT. Smash ("Lieutenant Smash? That's right -- Lieutenant L.T. Smash"). Last but not least, there will be FREE BOOZE, thanks to the Shipyard Brewery. All this can be yours for a mere $10 donation.

Wet BBQ + Art Opening + Lismore again

The BBQ at Etoile yesterday was amazing! The tarps shielded us from the pouring rain (sort of) and it was one of the most fun dance parties ever, thanks to Kittybat, Diddles and MOT. I love when DJs go all over the board and these guys tore it apart -- hip hop, disco, funk, soul, 80's, 90's, indie, mashups... unreal. Huge thanks to Katie Reynolds for throwing such a great customer appreciation party. We <3 Etoile!


And now on to tonight's festivities. The Peacock Room is hosting the artists' reception for the group show Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World from 8 - 11 PM. The show features works from Terribly Odd, Horsebites, Cathey Miller, Adriaan Mol, Mania, Robt, and Moore. Music will be provided by DJs Nigel and Cub.


After getting your drink on at Peacock, head over to Crush at BackBooth to get your second fix of Lismore. See them for free by getting on the Crush guest list. Mondays are usually insanely packed at BB, so get there early. Or, if you get there late, you can always chuckle at the paradox of the hipster entrance line at BackBooth vs. the homey entrance line waiting to get into the club next door.

Rain, rain, go away...

Well, today is the One Year Anniversary Party and Dirty Dub BBQ for Etoile Boutique and God has opened the sky to pour his wrath upon their shindig. But, the show must go on and Katie and MOT have scrambled to build tents for the occasion. So come out, dance in the rain with two of the best DJs in Orlando, Kittybat and Diddles, drink free PBR and support locally owned independent clothing stores like Etoille, Covert and BETA.