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: 4.25 out of 5 Bottles of Water

by Leif Wauters

After starting out the July 4th Saturday night at a couple of lesser events, my buddies and I stood in a brief line to join other holiday celebrants at Seattle’s Cuff Complex. Once heralded as THE leather bar in Seattle, it’s now also home to one of the premier gay dance joints in our northern sister city and the prefect place for brothers and sisters to join in celebration to the visiting sounds of DJ John LePage.

A staple of the San Francisco’s dance scene, John’s music can sometimes be branded as standard circuit with a side of meat, but his Independence set was more than a run of typical tracks. The floor was jammed for most of the night with folks who were built up and up and up by heavy beats and storming vocals that were unrelenting. At least when the bar staff weren’t announcing the coming, arriving and passing of last call. It was a whole lot of interruption for a simple cutting-off of booze, but I guess that’s how they appease the Man in that town. Once the barking was done, however, John chugged along into a sexy run of later tunes that were both dirty and dreamy. It rounded the night into a sweaty treat for a town where meaningful nights of dancing seem less common but no less needed.

With a large bar and dance area that are partnered with a spacious patio that lives in the shadow of residences that loom next door, The Cuff Complex is an apparently successful attempt at creating a place for everyone. And although I’m more a fan of venues that do one thing and do it well, this club works for Seattle and I’m happy to see that it’s survived so long with a healthy pulse. I would say that the dance area needs a serious face lift. With small town neon lighting and trippy stock videos as it’s focus, the visuals leave a lot to be desired for a club that’s become a pinnacle of the Northwest gay dance. Add to that a sound system that sharpened the treble into shivs and air conditioning that chilled some gaps while leaving others scorched, and we found ourselves grooving in a challenging environment for sure.

But there are many pros to this club as well, including lots of bars, both inside and out, and plenty of bathrooms that never seemed too busy. Above all, the Cuff had a crowd that ate up the feast Mr. LePage had cooked up for the evening and that’s the most valuable thing this club, or any other in the world, can ever have – an awesome vibe. Just imagine what an infusion of cash and a purposeful renovation could do. The Cuff’s historic presence as the home of Northwest leatherdom could be matched by the richness of it’s dance arena, and I expect to someday see it come to pass. But for now, it’s a groovy club where a wide variety of Seattleites can celebrate their fabulosity, and I was proud for a night to be counted amongst them.

by Leif Wauters

It was a dark and stormy night… Actually, it had been one of a few gorgeous days Seattle had seen in quite some time, and it had extended into a lovely, t-shirt evening. Since my travel buddy Steve, and local tour pals Wes and Jeff, had a few stops to make we got out the door early – before 10. After hitting the soon-to-be-closed Seattle institution, C.C. Attle’s for some beers and bear watching, we rolled down the hill to The Seattle Eagle to catch the northern eddition of Bearracuda.

This Bay Area standard for bears, cubs and other wildlife has spread it’s furry tentacles to other cities, and in Seattle’s case has adopted an appropriately grungy establishment as it’s home. With two stories built of narrow walkways where you have to get close to get by, it’s a fine venue for this bar-hop. Plastered with iconic Bearracuda posters and sporting a tasty spread of gummy bears and pop-tarts, it appeared as if the Eagle’s masculine edge had been assimilated by beary goodness, but upon closer inspection the two seemed to dance together fairly well.

While husky and aggressive members of the Eagle’s softball club, the Muffin Tops, pimped out rosy jello shots in giant syringes and wholly inappropriate images of smooth party boys from a Channel 1 Releasing trailer DVD played on the screen, a cross-continental DJ pairing was taking turns manipulating the crowd. We’d come to hear Sydney insert and friend, Matt Effect, spin his Northwest debut, but as they were playing back and forth in hourly patches we only caught two tracks of Matt before Seattle’s Freddie King of Pants took the decks.

The small second-story dance floor, barely cleared of it’s normal resident – an air hockey/pool table – was woefully sparse, so my friends and I had plenty of room to stretch out and lend Freddie our energy. But although he kept the beats high, the barrage of girlish vocals and GaGa anthems worked against building a true carnal groove. Instead, it was just music to bounce by, and since other Saturday night options seemed to have won over this event, there weren’t many chances to grind had the music been more manly.

I’d say the Seattle Eagle is a great space for Bearracuda, but if last night’s installment is indicative of the experience, I’d encourage more seductive lighting, grittier visuals, and a forceful soundtrack to maintain the momentum this event will need to keep pulling them in. Or I’m holding Seattle to San Francisco standards where they simply don’t align, in which case they should keep doing what they feel is right, but keep in mind what people going to the Eagle on a Saturday night might just be looking for. I somehow doubt Lady GaGa is it.

by Jim Hauck

Let me start by saying I was unable to hold out for the full Alegria experience for the night because my stomach got very upset, so I am going to review the party for the portion I was able to attend and let you know from what I have heard it was a great night well beyond when I left.

Setting the stage for Alegria, it has been forced into a new location, at the Nokia Theater in Time Square.  The former club has been shut down for liquor license suspension and there is no word when it will be back.  However since the last Alegria at Memorial Weekend, this Nokia has been the new home.  Now, my first thoughts when heading to a “theater” for a dance party where some cross between the Mayan in LA and any other Broadway theater.  In fact the last time I was at the Nokia was to see Wicked.  So my mind was a blaze with thoughts about how this would work.  And all I can say is that I loved the space.

Arriving around 12:30AM we quickly got through the line and passed the simple security check and into the space.  A long escalator ride down a blue lighted tunnel drew you in towards the thumping music ahead.  In my mind I was already realizing this was not going to be a theater, but some special celebration space within this complex.  I was right.  A multi-level dance floor and large stage area with stadium seating at the back, and VIP balconies surrounding gave the dance a spacious and open feel.

The lighting was just enough, with the classic Alegria sign spinning over the center of the floor.  The DJ both was on the stage and raised above with an LED video wall below for projecting images all night.  LED lighting columns flanked the DJ booth giving a variety of lighting burst that were at times blinding, but perfect in many ways.

When we arrived DJ Pagano was pumping out a great dark soulful house sound and it was the Pagano sound I really love. We met up with some of our SF friends, chatted with some of the locals and then staked out a spot on the dance floor.  The musical journey was deep and intense, a trademark of Alegria.  I did not make it long enough to hear Chus and Ceballos (something always gets in the way of me hearing these guys) but I hear the musical journey maintained for the evening.

The crowd was full of sexy, friendly and gorgeous men.  Lots of smiles and not much attitude, which was a pleasant relief.  Sadly, as my stomach started to get a bit worked up I chose to sit and listen to the music and watch the crowd, but as time drew on and it would not subside I had to make a decision to leave.  Had there been an in and out option, I would have simply gone to the drug store, but alas, no such chance.  So, for what I got, it was a great party and I continue to hold Alegria in a very high place.

by Jim Hauck

Sunday in New York was a hot, muggy, typical eastern day, and it was time for what is one of those legendary outdoor dance parties the NY Pride Pier Dance.  This 24th installment was a chance for yours truly to finally see this party and experience other parts of the dance scene in New York.

To set the stage, take a rather run down pier on the riverfront, covered in an asphalt surface, throw up a bunch of lighting rigging, line the edges of this long pier with tented booths/bars, speakers and poof there it is – Pier Dance.  Now this does simply thing a bit, but it really is just that simple. A large pier on the river.

Arriving a bit early to get in and get a lay of the land, the first thing noticed, was a lack of directional signage and we found ourselves, VIP tickets in hand, turned away at the gate and sent back and across the street to check in for a wrist band (an area we had already walked by as well).  Not a good start, but OK.  We get to the check in and the lack of organization and processing gets worse, and we were early, no lines yet.  Finally someone figured out there should be a VIP line and a standard line – perhaps another opportunity for signage?  We were quickly processed once the crew working the check in figured everything out, no special security checks or pat downs, and we were back on our way to the gate.  The crowd was now being held at the gate as many people looked at each other trying to figure out what to do, until the lone voice of a female finally said we have people ready to go, let’s get them in!  Bless her!

As we entered the long, narrow pier, there was again no clear signage on where VIP was or anything, and it took a lot of probing and questioning to find out.  We did however discover this long side of the pier walk that took us back to the rather spacious VIP area.  The VIP section had it’s own bathrooms, including an entire set of air conditioned toilets (special treat on a hot day).  The bars were plentiful and free drinks (cocktails, water, sports drinks, etc.) flowed all day from a very friendly volunteer bar staff.  There was also a raised platform at that end of the pier separating the VIP from general area.  VIP stayed comfortable all day for room and space to spread out, and I would recommend anyone who goes to this party to splurge on the option.

As the day moved along, we were blessed with a few clouds to block out the very potent sun and keep the temperatures just slightly high, but the humidity made for a sweaty day no matter what you did.  The slight breezes offered a refreshing time here and there to let you get some natures cooling down.  About 5:30 or so the crowd began to swell in size and there was a great energy building.

Steven Olivierri delivered a great opening set, playing a mix up classics for a t-dance, some more modern mash ups, but overall keeping the energy up and where you want it for a day time party.  The crowd was being wound up nicely for the main act to come. Steve kept a great beat and musical selection going and then there was the first performance break of the afternoon.  Sophie Ellis Bextor took the stage, in a rather quiet performance to sing a few of her hits like Murder on the Dance Floor and DJ Made Me a Dancer, with minimal amounts of talking and a great transition to the main course of the Freemasons.

The Freemasons took control of the party and immediately waved their magical musical wand over the event and took it to another level.  Just like their performance at White Party Palm Springs, I believe there is nothing this dynamic duo can’t do, and when you bring them into your party they are a great energy, fun performance, and music absolutely everyone loves.  The crowd was off the hook and the fun really kicked in as the sun set and the lights under the direction of Guy Smith started to come alive.  What I will say I loved most is that this was a longer Freemason’s set, with a lot of new material, showing how diverse these guys are becoming and how well they have learned what their gay followers love to dance to.  It was hard to not find someone with their hands in the air, singing a long, and just being full of beaming happiness in the music.

Then this is the sad part, and honestly it pains me to have to go here, but what would have an almost perfect day was basically spoiled by two key things.  When the Freemasons were done, and the crowd cheered them on, were introduced to Ultra Nate and a performance of songs that felt old and out of character for the party music we had just listened to including her song Automatic.  Honestly, we knew Kylie was in town, couldn’t someon have got her to the party?  In fact Ms. Nate spent more time asking for more volume, more monitors, and more of everything and all I kept thinking was more Freemasons please.

It was now 10:30, the party is in the final stages, and the fireworks start.  Now I am the first to tell you that finding a perfect performance song is hard to do, but whomever picked the choices for the fireworks show, certainly should have their head examined.  Some choral rendition of a song I do not know, played very slow and way too long, leading into another ballad and then finally into something that picked up the tempo a bit (but I was already walking down 14th street by this time so I do not know what it was).  Fireworks are jubilant, celebratory.  Starting with a ballad is awesome, but give me some kick to raise my spirits with the fires in the sky.  Big missed opportunity here.

Overall, a very fun party.  The crowd was very social, very friendly, and no matter where you looked people seemed to be having a good time.  It was a mixed group of many ethnicity’s and ages, bears and muscle, and a lot of young men sporting facial hair (I am so happy that is back in style). There were a few noticeable drop outs from people going a little too far, but given the hot day it did not seem that bad for what I was seeing and how bad it could have been.  I was amazed at the obvious sales going on around the dance floor, no quiet mind you, but in your face opportunities for products. Additionally, it seemed there were more drunken 20 to 30 somethings than I have seen in a long time.  And sadly, if there is one memorable moment, it is when this boy from San Diego, drunk and messy, decided to pull out his member and proceeded to urinate all over his friends and even when they moved, he turned and continued to relieve himself all over the back of his “boyfriend”. Can you give me a gig W-O-W?  That was messy and certainly gave my friend and I good reason to head to another part of the dance floor.

So thanks to New York for giving me an alternative pride event to go to.  It was great seeing friends from SF in town throughout the day and catching up with local NY friends I have not seen in some time.  I highly suggest if you have never done it, check out the NY Pride Pier Dance – it is an event worth attending.