If someone would have asked me a year ago to brag about my most memorable night of Halloween mayhem,my stories would have probably put some of you to sleep.

Sure, there was the year I dressed up as as a pro-wrestler and got trashed at my friends backyard party while swatting at pumpkins with a baseball bat. Or, if I we're going old school, there was the time I challenged a group of friends in 4th grade to see who could scarf a pillow case full of candy the fastest. But mostly, Halloween is just another excuse to drink and pass out at a house party. Pretty god-damn Vanilla right? Well, not this year.

Last weekend, tucked inside the dark caverns of The Echoplex,Halloween night at L.A.'s Bondage Ball was anything but standard.

After only a few minutes of standing in line, I watched the streets come alive as cars whizzed by, honking their horns at a small army of costumed kooks, leather-clad nymphs and cross dressers who looked like frustrated high school teachers limping around in fishnet pantyhose. By 9:30, the line of devilishly dressed S&M enthusiasts was so long that the chances of bumping into the devil or an undercover politician were actually pretty good.

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Luchadores—those masked wrestlers­ from south of the frontera—will be taking over the Grove of Anaheim tonight in what’s sure to be a spectacle of high-flying moves and debauchery.

Tonight’s event is Lucha Va Voom Sexo Y Violencia, and Mexican wrestlers from all over Mexico, Los Angeles and Texas will be battling for ring supremacy, the honor of their hometown and the coveted Summer-Nacionales cup.

In between matches, the ring gets hot with burlesque performances from New York’s Wau Wau Sisters, Chicago’s Michelle L’Amour, LA’s Lucy Fur, Karis and Lola La Cereza.

Oh wait! There will be midgets, too. Doing... I’m not sure. Wrestling? Probably. Performing burlesque? One can only hope.

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If there were ever a guide to throw a great party, Sutra sure got it right this time. The blueprint is simple, although damn near impossible to recreate unless you've got the cred and resources.

First thing, you need a theme. Dirty Disco? Boogie Nights? Yep, sounds good. It's been a while since the '70s themed extravaganzas have hit the circuit, so does this mean they're novel again? Looks like it. And put the word "dirty" in front of anything, it just gets infinitely cooler.

Next, gotta have the eye candy. Playboy would seem like the obvious first choice (duh), but what about going right past all those bunny wannabe's to the queen sex pot? That would be recently appointed 2008 Playmate Of The Year Jayde Nicole. Think she would come to your party? Let alone host it? In your dreams.

Finally and arguably most importantly is the music. Again, Sutra goes right to the top: world renowned DJ/music producer Steve Aoki to spin a special live '70s set that will be nothing less than fanfuckingtastic.

Being Sutra's first annual Dirty Disco party, there's the slightest chance it's going to be a dud. But by slightest chance, it's about as possible as playing that stupid "lime in the coconut" game and not throwing up, which translates to about one in a sqillion.

The catch: '70s disco attire is required for entry, so you have to participate. Just think tight and glitzy. Hot pants and halter tops. What you would wear with a pair of roller skates if you didn't plan on actually, um, skating. Men should go the Travolta route, naturally. No need for platforms tough, guys, unless you have practiced dancing in them. As hot as tight pants and open shirts can be, most ladies dont dig guys in heels. sorry.

According to Sutra, this is "sure to sell out" and unlike most venues that claim it, Dirty Disco probably will. Pre-sale tickets run $20 (hey, that's less than five gallons of gas), but the cut-off is today at 1 p.m. You can purchase them here. Didn't get them in time? Try your luck at the door, but getting turned away while in costume is one of the most embarrassing things to happen to a club-goer. In other words, sucks to be you.

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Mod, mod, mod. Are you sick of the word yet? No? Good.
It’s no secret theme dance parties are rampant through the club scene but if I come across one more ‘80s club I’m going to throw up a scruncie. Secret Affair is held the first Friday of every month and recalls that explosive era now gone nearly half a century.

Advertised as a night for northern soul, freakbeat, boogaloo, garage and ‘60s, any regular night-lifer would pick up on the originality of music genres at the very least. Oh, and for those of you who aren’t sure (because I sure as hell wasn’t):

Freakbeat: “The missing link between the early to mid-1960s mod R&B scene and the psychedelic rock and progressive rock genres that emerged in the late-1960s” and “Elements of the freakbeat sound include strong direct drum beats, loud and frenzied guitar riffs, and extreme effects such as: fuzztone, flanging, distortion and compression or phasing on the vocal or drum tracks.”

Boogaloo: “A genre of Latin music and dance that was very popular in the United States in the late 1960s. Boogaloo originated in New York City among teenage Cubans and Puerto Ricans. The style was a fusion of popular African American R&B, rock and roll and soul with mambo and son montuno.”

And there you have it; now we can all play esoteric hipster.

If you plan on going to Secret Affair tonight, and by all means you should, the dress is actually quite simple: sleek and well-tailored. Men generally stick to the tight pants, pointy shoes and shaggy hair (which is the very reason I enjoy this club so much). Women go for the short babydolls and trapeze dresses. Tight with either flats or heels. Flats if you feel like dancing. And you will.

Right, that’s another thing: the dancing is also kept somewhat reminiscent of the ‘60s. The Twist was back with gusto, not the easy two-feet-on-the-ground version but the flippy, skippy one. I’m sure ‘60s dance experts (if there is such a thing) would have a better name for it. Anyways, I thought I had mastered that move by the night’s end only to find out it was the PBR tallboys that had caused such a hallucination. So you might want to practice at home a little, or suffer my fate of looking more like drunken poultry than anything even reminiscent of cool.

Another incentive to look good and perfect those dance moves: Weekly photog Fever Dragon will be there to capture the action. And you know we'll be putting that shit up on the website for all to see.

Secret Affair at Alex's, 2913 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. Free before 9 p.m., $5 after.

View a photo slideshow of Secret Affair here.

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...the club, not the city.

Bad news for all you hip-hop and Top 40 club lovers:

Club Vegas (whom we deemed Best Dance Club in OC) has shut its doors this past weekend due to "unresolvable issues regarding the parking situation".

Over parking? Bummer.

Management is hoping to open again soon at a different location.

(In the meantime, there's always Sutra)

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Not panic-inducing at all but rather jovial (and free!), The Continental Room in Fullerton has dubbed Monday nights the place to be for incredibly eclectic DJ showmanship.

How eclectic you might ask? A veritable shmorgasborg of music genres that spanned the decades. Like this:

- Primus
- Data Rock
- The Star Wars Theme
- Pixies
- Kanye West
- Cookie Monster (yes, the Sesame Street muppet)
- 20 Fingers
- Justice
- Andrew WK
- Murder City Devils
- Nancy Sinatra

And a whole hell of a lot more. Check out club photographer Fever Dragon's photos from last night.

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... and you're feeling sorry about it,

THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO ALL THOSE DAMN PARTY FLYERS LITTERING YOUR CAR'S WINDSHIELD FOR THE LAST MONTH.

After the jump find some sure-to-be-amazing events.
You're lucky I'm giving you a second chance.

Continue reading "If Your New Years Eve Plans Involve Sitting On The Couch..."...

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According to some of you out there (or at least one of you who rides a motorcycle) the Club Listings are lacking for those homosexually-inclined.

These are the gay clubs/lounges that regularly run in the paper (when space allows):

-Executive Suite
-Stiff Tuesdays at Proof
-Paradise
-Lucky Sundays at Tia Juana’s
-Mick & Mack’s
-Fun House at Frat House
-Beer Bust at Ripple’s

Being a straight girl, sometimes I miss the underground/little-known rainbow-friendly happenings.

So please, good people of Orange County, if you know a place where the bears are friendly and the go-go boys are fierce... let me know! And yes, the Boom Boom Room is STILL closed, so don't bother.

Thanks,
Erin
Clubs Editor
edewitt@ocweekly.com

*Due to a technical glitch, listings are drastically cut from our online calendar. Not to fear, it will be fixed soon!

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Aside from the fact that it took some people an hour and a half to get in last night, Glam is actually a pretty fun nightclub.

I could’ve sworn the flier said Glam opened at 9, but according to the looong-ass line when I showed up, the club didn’t open till 10.

All the people in line had rsvp’d to avoid paying the cover, which was $20 (damn!). I always appreciate a club willing to do that (wave the cover charge), because hey, I’m going to spend twice that at the bar.

Well, then the DJ didn’t show up.
Which meant 10 got pushed back to 10:45.
Which meant some poor souls were waiting well over an hour. In 4 inch heels.

Except those willing to shell out a Jackson, those people got right in. Very clever...

Anyways, once everybody got through the door it was a great party.

The DJ (once he finally showed) spun fun, energetic tracks like J Kwon’s Tipsy, Kelis’ Bossy and that one song I thought was called White Girl but I guess not. If anyone knows what it's really called, let me know.

Unlike other DJs I’ve witnessed, he was fast to know when a song worked or didn’t. Some songs like Limp Bizkit’s Faith didn’t last more than a verse (or maybe that one was a joke).

Two dance floors equipped with poles and raised platforms provided plenty of room for people to get their freak on.

And then there were the strippers. Excuse me, go go dancers.

And the regular girls who liked to pretend they were stri... go go dancers.

No no, it was all in good fun. See the pictures here.

The drinks were stiff and decently priced, well-drinks were something like 6 bucks and heavy on the booze. Bartenders were quick on their game, I never had to wait long.

Then I noticed the blue neon sign reading “Tacos” in the corner of the club. Upon investigating, I discovered that for a measly $1.50, you could get a bomb little carne asada taco with cilantro and fiery salsa. Brilliant! More clubs should offer noshings like this.

In conclusion, Glam is definitely a place to check out if you’re in Anaheim any given Thursday, but show up late so you don’t have to wait in line.

Glam is held every Thursday at JC Fandango’s 1086 N. State College, Anaheim

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UPDATE: Photos from Payback are up.

Us Southern Californians sure don’t like to give up our summers. In fact, it took Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar half way through September before they held Payback, an End Of Summer party.

But our favorite season went out with a bang this year. Technically summer doesn't end until the 23rd, but it might as well be over since everyone's back in school.

The usual boundaries of Detroit spilled out into the parking lot with a huge covered tent for all the smokers and night sky admirers.

Inside, the masses ran back and forth between dueling DJs in two rooms. Long Beach favorites Mashed Potatos played an early set spinning remixes of practically everything you can think of (highlight: Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me”).

Them Jean rocked the house as always, pumping the air full of crunk and attitude, keeping in tone with the live set by Sparrow Love Crew, who got the floor quaking with a healthy dose of ghettotech.

Le Receptionist was there to take photos of all the artists, musicians (Hi, Cavil At Rest!) and all around gorgeous people who came to dance and drink and close the place down at 2 a.m.

In those early hours, the sea of drunks and half drunks were ushered out, disrupting the quiet city with their lingering inebriated ardor.

To soak up the booze, most found their way around the corner to Rooster Cafe (open til 3 a.m.), where Le Receptionist found the floor.

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UPDATE: Club pix are up.

Thursday night was a little bit different from the usual dance party that is Call Sick On Friday.

It brought the best of both nightlife worlds: the beginning was dedicated to live music, the end belonged to digital.

Held at Que Sera, this week’s Call Sick opened with Long Beach darlings Repeater, who did an amazing set of their frenzied, cerebral brand of shoegaze.

Around Midnight the DJ took over and spun the crowd into a frenzy with smashes and remixes of early 90’s top forty (remember 20 Fingers?), old skool hip hop like Notorious B.I.G., mid ‘90s Madonna, turn of the century Daft Punk and last years Fergie.

The crowd was as chic and dashing as all Call Sick events are, my favorite photographer Fever Dragon will have pictures for you Monday.

Call Sick On Friday is held the first and third Thursday of every month at Que Sera in Long Beach. www.myspace.com/callsickonfriday

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Oh, the Boom Boom Room.

It’s the oldest and arguably most iconic gay bar on this half of the country. The Boom Boom Room in Laguna Beach, which opened in the 1920’s, is sadly seeing its final days this weekend.

How, you ask, could such a historic place be closing after all these years? Especially when the gay lifestyle has never been as embraced as today?

It’s been bought out. And it’s going to become a hotel. Yes, exactly what Laguna Beach needs, another frikkin hotel.

Needless to say, the Boom is going out with a massive 4 day party, all this weekend ending Labor Day.

I went last night, along with Web Editor Janine Kahn, who made sure to take plenty of PICTURES.

A straight girl in a gay club is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that gay clubs always always always have the most drop dead gorgeous men I’ve ever seen. The curse is well, they’re gay so I can’t have any of them.

As far as eye candy goes, nothing beats the Boom Boom Room. Especially when it was time for the wet underwear contest: those hotties climbed into a three-sided shower and, let's just say my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

Yeah, we got pictures of that too. But I think Janine could only use the PG-13 ones.

Savetheboom.com is rallying to save the beloved night spot that promoted acceptance of gay lifestyle long before everybody else did. Unfortunately gay acceptance is a fight still being fought and the closing of this historic club isn't going to help matters. So if you love hot boys as much as I do, show your support and keep them dancing on the bars of the Boom Boom Room.

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Club Wednesdayz isn’t a typical club.

So if you're a twenty-something who likes to club/pub hop around town in jeans and a hoodie, sorry to say, this isn’t for you. (Don’t be offended, I fit in this category, too.)

Come back when you’ve got a successful career going and you're rolling in dough.

It’s an innovative concept: An exclusive organization that meets twice a month to schmooze it’s members with networking and social opportunities, not to mention live music, cocktails and appetizers. The innovative part? Every event is held at a different upscale location, ensuring a new experience each time.

Last Wednesday, Aug 15, was at Chat Noir, one of the most elegantly beautiful lounges in the county. Everything was velvet and plush and gorgeous.

Being brand new, Club Wednesdayz is still seducing people to join (probably the reason yours truly was invited) and only a registration was needed to signify interest.

And if I had an extra $70 a month laying around? I’d be a member already.

The free appetizers alone were worth it. Endless trays of diced ahi over avocado, little toasted crackers holding filet mignon and dijon sauce, Brie with caramelized onions! It was heaven.

Club Wednesdayz started with a live jazz band while people filed in and got comfortable. Cocktail attire was necessary for entrance, but the crowd was far from snooty. Everyone was relaxed and friendly, apparently not bothered by the idea of work the next morning.

I should also mention the raffle going on, part of which went to charity. I was too distracted by the champagne and food to really pay much attention to it. Terrible person, yes I know.

Around 10 p.m. or so, when everyone was feeling warm and tingly, the night really got started. A Flock Of ‘80s, a cover band dedicated to said decade, took to the area designated as the dance floor.

Those business types sure aren’t shy about getting their groove on.

When I said the night really got started, I meant for them, not me. I left lovely Club Wednesdayz before midnight, realizing I was far out of my tax bracket and work the next morning was looming dangerously near.

For more information go to www.ClubWednesdayz.com

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