Jellyfish and Other Weekend Events

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, my apologies for less-than-frequent updates as of late. My home computer has finally died a nasty death, leaving only my work computer to access the internet. And in today’s hard economic times, my jobby job is very important to me. Ok, enough woe-is-me talk – let’s get some weekend action up in this piece.

First off, we have an art installment from Doug Rhodehamel. Remember when he was collecting all those plastic bottles a few months back? Turns out he wasn’t cashing them in to pay he rent, he was creating sea creatures. Night of a Thousand Jellyfish takes place at the City Arts Factory from 7 to 11 PM with music by DJ Nigel. It’s 2 bucks or you can opt to bring a cheap bottle of wine. I know which one I’m choosing!



And over at the place you never thought would open, Will's Pub, catch The Empyres – a band consisting of ex-members of The Hatebombs, Fantasie and View-finder. Or Dave Ewing, Jeff Orlando and Aaron Zacktan if you need names to go with the faces. Special guests: The Bell Towers. $5, 10 PM.



Continuing down the 17-92 pub crawl, we have The Future on Films in Space playing at the Peacock Room. $5, 10 PM.



Househeads should stop in at Crooked Bayou this evening, where DJ Chang (best known as resident DJ at the ecstasy-filled nights of club Simon’s in Gainseville) will be the special guest. No cover, 10 PM.



Kick your Saturday off with a group art show dedicated to life in Central Florida. Altered State features work by Johannah O’Donnell, Joseph Williams, Linda Hartmann, Morgan Steele, Pam Treadwell, Patricia Coyle, Peg Martin and Tom Hope. Each artist will be showing their perspective of life in our fair city – it should be interesting to see the outcome. It’s being held at my favorite bight-orange building, Say It Loud. $5, 7 PM, soundscape by Adriaan Mol.



Also on Saturday, The Spam Allstars will be heating up 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.” Special guest: The Gerry Williams Band. $10 in advance, $12 day of show.



And finally, the last Saturday of each month marks the Dublife party at Crooked Bayou. Hosted by Jungala, No cover, $10 PM.



Have fun :)

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.