The Juice Box

Starting off the weekend, it is the birthday of your humble blogger Juicy Fruit Jim himself (yup – he turns 44 this year).

The Bear Market in Guerneville will be a weekend of fun in the resort towns at the Russian River.  Events at Bear Market will be happening all weekend long. Or if you stayed in town and just want to day trip up to the river resorts for Bear Market, there is a Steamworks bus on Saturday or grab some friends and a Zip car for the quick ride up. If you stay in town a couple great options including Ceremony with superstar DJ Abel and Don Tix.  This Ceremony looks to be one very special party billed as Abel playing classics (squeal!!).  Wrap it all up on Sunday at Fresh and you have a great weekend ahead!

And don’t forget a line up of events on the Juice Box Calendar is located on the calendar link in the navigation bar to the right on the Juice Box web page- check it out! If you are planning ahead, the summer has much more to come, including the next big weekend up at the Russian River as Gus Presents Sundance – get your tickets now and book your rooms for what will be one of the biggest and most fun events of the summer.  Can’t afford the whole weekend away, then check out the folks at Past Curfew Productions as they bring you the Sundance Party buses for the Sunday events!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Juicy’s Birthday

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 bottles of water!

by Steven Satyricon

As social as I am (read: club whore!), there are certain events that I’ve heard about repeatedly and never attended. This past weekend’s Flagging In The Park was a virgin experience for me–I’d never even so much as visited the AIDS Memorial Grove, which plays host to the event–but between DJ Craig Gaibler spinning and our flagger friends from SLC being in town, the stars were clearly aligned for us to check it out.

The Grove is truly a place of beauty and serenity, just a short walk away from the road but with the feeling of being removed from the bustle surrounding it. There’s a nicely-sized glade with a walking path surrounding it which served as the flagging arena as well as a spot for folks to spread their blankets and get comfortable. I’m not honestly certain where the nearest official public restroom is located, but most people seemed comfortable wandering to a more or less secluded tree to relieve themselves, and for an Alabama boy who grew up in the Appalachian foothills, this was a familiar and inoffensive practice. Though the sky was overcast, the weather wasn’t nearly as cold and damp as what Golden Gate Park has a reputation for–though the organizers no doubt scheduled the event from 1PM to 4PM in part to avoid the fog sweeping in. I myself kept my sweatshirt off the entire afternoon and thought it felt wonderful.

There really isn’t an adequate way to describe the simple beauty and gentility of watching the flaggers who filled the field. A sense of peace and quiet joy pervaded the atmosphere. I’ve often heard flagging referred to (only somewhat jokingly) as “a dying gay art form” so I found it somewhat ironic but perfectly fitting that so many flaggers and their supporters were gathered in this place which is dedicated to the memory of those we have lost. I felt the tangibility of history and reverence even as we laughed, smiled, and celebrated. In a word, beautiful. It should also be noted that there was a fair showing of hula-hoopers and poi-spinners, as well, adding their talents and unique energies to the movement in the grass.

DJ Craig Gaibler has quickly garnered a reputation for customizing his sets to blend seamlessly with the vibe of whatever event he’s playing, and this day’s set was no different. So many tracks he spun took me back 10 years or more to happy memories of Sunday afternoons in the sunshine, yet the flavor of nostalgia was balanced by current and even (dare I say) timeless standards. Again I feel that the only appropriate word to describe music was joyful. The flow of sound fit perfectly with the gentle flapping of fabrics and the blurs of color flying through the air. There were a small number of technical difficulties over the course of Craig’s set which resulted in sudden stops in the music, but it’s my understanding that the cause of these blips has been discovered by Craig and the same mistake won’t be made again. Even with the gaps in sound, however, the crowd remained buoyant and unfazed–partially due to the fact that this was a non-dance event, i believe, therefore making the interruptions feel less jarring. Overall, the music was another fantastic gift from Craig and I encourage everyone to follow this man closely and catch his sets where you can.

My only other complaint regarding Flagging In The Park was that it was over far too soon! I have no idea what sort of restrictions might be in place at GG Park regarding amplified music, or if weather-related fears are the only reason it ended at 4 as opposed to, say, 6. The feeling to me was that many of us would’ve gladly stayed later if we could’ve. I don’t know if there’s a possibility of extending the hours of the next Flagging event, but I will gladly attend and hope that we might be blessed with a longer stay in this fabulously sublime space of music, community, and kinetic beauty.

Rating – 4.5 out of 5 bottles of water!

Review by Ray Chalom
Editorial comment by Jim Hauck

Save the Best for Last!

Being the closer is never easy. There is a lot of pressure to come in and top (no pun intended) everything that came before you. On big weekends like Dore that is a tall order given the sheer number of parties that take place, not to mention the fair which is usually sensory overload. Historically speaking PLAY has consistently been one of the best parties produced in San Francisco. The sheer attention to detail rivals REAL BAD and shames all other parties produced in San Francisco.

As usual, when you walked into DNA Lounge there was a team of people to greet you, put a little gift around your neck and direct you to coat check. There was signage everywhere with small reminders about the Do’s and Don’ts of parties and of course the buffet stocked with complimentary fruit and candy. Still a brilliant added extra every party should have.

More importantly who doesn’t love a packed club full of hot smiling faces bouncing to a well laid out journey of beats. The club was packed full of a mix of familiar faces and new faces alike who were happy to be there and put a cap onto their perfect party weekend.

DJ Joe Gauthreaux laid down a great set of hard hitting beats that seamlessly flowed from one song to the next which kept feet moving and the dance floor packed. His set was so well put together once I got onto the dance floor I didn’t leave for the rest of the night. For someone with lower-back problems, that says a lot! With that said, I do tend to prefer more vocals at my t-dances but I got over it pretty quickly, smiled and just followed the journey.

Lighting was typical DNA which is good, a few lasers and minimal seizure inducing strobe lights. The room was kept dark and up-lit with black lights which showed off the great decorations. Only at a party like PLAY can you dance under clotheslines of jockstraps.

My sole complaint was the volume of the music. It was so loud even if you leaned into someone and screamed into their ear there was no chance of them hearing you. I suppose the one positive note was chatting was kept to a minimum and we were all forced to use our bodies to communicate. Some better than others though all seemed to be effective communicators.

Editors Comments (by Jim Hauck):

I was also in attendance at this party, and agree it is one of the best parties for the Up Your Alley weekend festivities.  A perfect end to a long and fun weekend that is slowly rivaling the older days of Folsom Street Fair weekend.

Additionally, while I generally agree with Ray and his review, and the music was appropriate for Up Your Alley weekend (harder, heavier, more sexually driven), I feel that the Past Curfew/PLAY T-Dance franchise, is known for a bit lighter, more fun and uplifting parties, even on the Up Your Alley weekend. I look forward to the PLAY Up Your Alley weekend edition as a way to feel a chance to have some fun after what is a very kinky, sexy and driven weekend.  I like to work my way to the more tribal aspects of the music and the darker mixes, and was not that enthusiastic with a couple songs like Peyton’s “UR The Best Thing” be delivered in such a dark heavy level before the sun had even gone down outside.

All that aside, it was a fun party and I will say that you can certainly count on the PLAY T-Dance for a good time, good crowd and lot’s of fun!  Congratulations on another well executed event.