Girl About Town 3/18

March 18, 2008 11:31 AM
by chipi [email]

Hold tight my local Junkies, the Spring Break rush will soon be over and those drunken 20-somethings will go back to whatever rinky-dink college town they came from.

These Greek-life prototypes in button-downs and their sun-burnt or fake-tanned, blonde haired companions have been flooding the nightlife from SoBe to Kendall for the past two weeks. As much as they may have frustrated and complicated things for us this month, you've got to hand it to them for hitting the party circuit hard and even for making celebrities come out of the woodwork.

This weekends run-down began on Friday night with a special warehouse party by NYC production team minimoo. Just to give you an idea what kind of sound we were in for, "fuck vocals." is the official group motto. After driving around the proverbial hood for a little while, we reached an industrial district and followed the bass thump to a long narrow warehouse. Inside we caught sets by the original winner of the CoolJunkie spin off and brilliant Miami producer Michael Louis. Resident DJ Memek took control of the room and kept the energy level high all night long.

These two were throwing down some incredible records but the makeshift venue didn't really lend itself to great sound. The bad acoustics in the room eventually got to me and I had to go outside for some fresh air. Regardless of my claustrophobic punk out, these unconventional goings-on are worth showing up for, but I'll take a nod from Ramon and bring some earplugs next time.

On the opposite side of the industry coin, Saturday night belonged to the Junkies with a sponsored party at the Gryphon featuring Josh Wink, Stryke and Conway. The evening was marked by the early arrival of Alan T, who took some time out from his post at the door to love on the CJ crew. Despite our smiling faces and good natured joshing (no pun intended), Wink was still stranded at an airport in Philly until around 11pm. Luckily for us, he arrived smoothly and with enough time to take advantage of his artist rider, if you catch my drift.

The dance floor filled up quickly and I have to say the light guy at the Gryphon was most definitely on point. The crowd was vibing with the glow in the dark Go-Go girls and by the time Dennis Rodman made his cameo at Pangaea next door, the party couldn't have gotten any rowdier. The drive to Broward was a little rough on me though. Can you believe the price of gas these days? Killer.

With 23 blocks to trek on Sunday, I made sure to get up early enough to catch every inch of Calle Ocho fest. This years 30th anniversary brought more of the same: short-shorts, shirtless juvenile offenders and food...oh, the food. The streets were paved in vendors serving up every form of death by hispanic delicacy. Also, this guy:

Between the heat, the grills on every side of the street, and my black skinny jeans, I was ready to collapse from heat exhaustion before 4PM. An afternoon disco nap put some pep back in my step and by nightfall I was ready for my sugar fix.

Chocolate Sundays at Purdy Lounge have been a weekly favorite of mine for a while, but I'd been taking a hiatus from Purdy Avenue. After this weekend's events, I think it's safe to say that my Purdy days are back in full force. The bar was lined with regulars, though the crowd was expectedly thicker with the Spring Break rush. In the back room DJ's Jessica Who and Ryan Evans were keeping things free-form with everything from 2 Live Crew to Daft Punk to Michael Jackson.

While I've always been a sucker for the chick DJ, Jessica Who threw down in a serious way. Her programming was tight and the mixing was smooth, not to mention she was having her own personal dance party behind the decks. The same could be said of Evans (about the mixing rather than the dance party) and the two made for a fantastic shake down.

Back in the main room, I sat down with art dork Lee Iturbe. A Jersey boy, Iturbe has been wandering the country, exhibiting his talents with live art shows. The canvas he attacked at Purdy recalled the style of Alex Pardee and the mythological images of the urban subconscious. His Miami stint finished on Monday night with a live painting set at BED, but you can join the bidding for his work on his website.

While the rest of the world might be nursing a hang over from yesterdays emerald festivities, I kept it simple with a private night at home. I hope you've all been preparing yourselves for next week's Euro invasion. I've already got my sleeping bag ready and am in the process of moving my entire closet into my car. I don't see myself going home at any point next week. That being said, this week should be spent resting up for the chaos to come...should being the operative word.

Weekly Picks

Tuesday 3.18 - Spiderpussy @ PS-14
Spiderpussy has a 2 for 1 drink situation until 1AM happening at PS-14 every Tuesday and this dance party pumps the brit pop, indie rock, electro funk fun all night long.

Wednesday 3.19 - Ladies Night @ Cameo
With sounds by DJ Mark, Ladies get in free and drink free all night long this week.

Thursday 3.20 - Abraxas Lounge
Thursday nights are usually indie dance fun themed at Abraxas. It's a nice beach hide-away bar with beer and spirits from all over the world, chic and comfortable surroundings and a chilled out crowd.

Friday 3.21 - Special Guest DJ Lil Jon @ Mansion
No that's not a typo. Lil' Jon will apparently be mixing for the second wave of Spring Breakers this Friday at Mansion. The Junkie family plans on making it a couch-dancing, bottle-popping situation. Excess, baby.

Saturday 3.22 - Grass Restaurant & Lounge
Whether you're coming to eat or hang, Grass can be credited for its elevated ambiance and healthy reputation. It's a great place to meet locals in the know and a more intimate setting if you're sick of SoBe clutter.

Sunday 3.23 - Chocolate Sundays @ Purdy Lounge
I wasn't kidding, we're ready to call Purdy home again on Sunday nights for a little while. There's hip-hop in the main room and a musical free-for-all in the back, keeping the crowd eclectic and the mood light.

For Girl on Girl Calamity - 2.19 Crush Wednesdays @ Brasas Lounge
You might have to make the trip all the way out to Pembroke Pines, but if bidding on a date with a hot girl sounds like a good Wednesday night for you, it's well worth the drive. DJ Dimples will be spinning live hip-hop and reggae while four good looking ladies make their way to the auction block.

For Boy on Boy Action - 3.23 Click Sundays @ Dek23
After my marathon night out with Alan T, I'm considering starting a fan club for the Click regulars. This week OAG productions will be throwing a birthday bash/WMC week kickoff jam for the boys.

For Live Music Junkies - 3.20 Can you rock a little softer? @ Churchill's Pub
Every Wednesday night Raffa and Rainer host Miami's favorite live indie rock night with a revolving line up of local legends and open mic newbies. This week The Bleeding Echo's and Jacob Miller will be performing and with Rachel Goodrich's triumphant return from SXSW, maybe we'll be graced with her presence as well.

I can't stop spinning...

In my iPod: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - D.A.N.C.E. (Justice Cover)
Sick of hearing D.A.N.C.E á la Justice? Well, me neither. But regardless, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, an english group fronted by Sam Duckworth, have an indie/emo clever turn on this piece of electro-pop fluff.

If you're on that local tip: Nick Kruge - Scared to Lose. This singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, all around bad-ass is a Miami treasure to say the least. Most of Miami's finest owe their best recordings to Kruge's expertise and ingenuity, qualities that are likewise reflected in his solo work. When Kruge isn't busy making musical history with Awesome New Republic, he finds time to record and write his own music. "Scared to Lose" is an ideal introduction to Kruge's sound - sweet and melancholy. He recalls the better of John Mayer's musical ventures with more attention to detail.

On Celluloid:
When you're following a film with intersecting plot lines, things can get really cheesy, really fast. Thus is not the case with Caramel, the directorial debut of Lebanese actress Nadine Labaki. This Middle Eastern import follows the lives of five women dealing with issues of sexual repression, oppressive tradition and forbidden love. While the director has received some criticism for depicting Beirut as an exotic and warm city rather than a war-torn landscape, it's humanizing to see the city through the perspective of everyday people with ordinary problems.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you around next week. Stay safe and smile for the camera.

peace love and music,

chipi

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