Q-Seattle Events: Tacky Tourist Clubs

Still not sure where to show off that fabulous costume you're preparing on the long weekend/week of Halloween. Well, be sure to add another destination -- or even your main destination down in Belltown at Jai Thai [get directions], 2132 First Ave. at Blanchard.

That's where Seattle Black Pride will present this year's Halloween Carnivale from 9:30 pm until 2 am on Saturday, October 27.

SBP urges you to "Be Creative, Be Sexy, Be Scary. Just Be There." And, of course, there will be prizes for the most creative costumes with cash prizes of $150, $100, and $50 for the top three contestants.

But to really get an idea of what the party is likely to be like, check out SBP's great gallery of party pics from last year's Carnivale. We can't link to the gallery directly, but you can find it on the SBP home page at the bottom of the "Events" menu.

To further confuse yourself with the wealth of Halloween options, be sure to check out Bill W's typically comprehensive Halloween listing in the left column at GaySeattle.blogspot.com.

Note: This post is mirrored from seaQwa.com.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, org:SBP, photos, Seattle, shirtless hunk

We (your editorially plural but otherwise singular WebWrangler) were so embarrassed by the delay in getting pictures up from this year's Queen City Cruise, that we almost let this weekend's mass drop of photos go by without comment.

After all, Fall has come way early this year and it's difficult by now to even imagine the spirit of such an event. But there they are. Remember that? Ahh! Summertime. To make up for our insufferable delay and to account for the recent explosion of cameras, we've made this year's collection bigger than ever.

It's a great collection. We thank everyone who sent us images, and especially Antonio Gonzales (definitely not the xAG AG) who gave us a wonderful group to choose from this year. You'll also find images from Dan Lane, Jim Cash, Marcy Kraft, Tom Poppie, Scott Cammack, Emo, Jeff Thompson. "Neil" NLM sent us some great ones (which, to be fair, have been displayed since early September) including that great shot of Moms Finley. And -- yeah -- Robin Evans contributed, too.

And, yes, we probably missed a few of the great shots in the collections. We'll probably go through again and maybe add a fourth index, but we're not promising anything.

Labels: fundraisers, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, shirtless hunk

It goes without saying that tickets to Bump, Seattle's hottest and longest-running Halloween party are, well... hot. They're on sale now, so if you plan to be at EMP [get directions] on October 27 for the big party, get your tickets now.

Ticket prices range from $45 for general admission to $145 for a "Platinum Access" pass to the party and a private hosted bar. The night's mixes will be supplied by hunky Dallas-based DJ Blaine. You can find samples of his work at his homepage, or visit his MySpace page (which, remarkably, is free of auto-sounds).

The party starts at 9pm and runs until 2am at EMP. It will be followed, once again this year, by OneDegree's after-hours party Tribe, the street at Level 5. That party, running from 2am until 8am, features Vancouver's DJ Rob C. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased along with your Bump tickets.

But what's Halloween without costumes? You can expect many of them, from the incredibly elaborate to the amazingly skimpy at the Bump. And there will be prizes for the best of them. The first-place winner gets $1,000 in cold, hard cash. Second place winner gets round trip tickets on the Victoria Clipper to BC, with night's stay in The Oswego Hotel. The third-place costume winner will be awarded a gift certificate for dinner at El Gaucho and a night's stay at Seattle's Vintage Park Hotel.

All proceeds from BUMP go to support the services provided at Gay City Health Project, as well as the Travel Fund for the Seattle Men's Chorus / Seattle Women's Chorus.

This could, by the way, count as the 25th anniversary of the party since the first one -- then using the original full and wordy name Things That Go Bump In the Night -- was held October 30, 1982. It was at the Spacearium at Pacific Science Center.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle

Tickets for the more than 165 movies and videos that will be shown during the 2007 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival are now on sale. Buy them online (click the "Buy tickets" button on the schedule) or at Ticket/Ticket locations.

Pick up a paper version of the schedule at many locations including the LGBT Center, Changes in Wallingford, Bailey/Coy Books, Broadway Video, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, On 15th Video [most of which are on our map]. But the festival's website offers superb schedule tools that make a paper version almost superfluous.

The festive festival opens Friday October 12 with a gala premier showing of The Walker followed by a party in SLU (which is, of course, one of several names for the new neib in the South Lake Union area.) It's one of four movies+parties that are part of the festival. You can get privileged access to all of them with a $70 Party Pass.

Read more about the Festival. PlanetOut offers this summary.

And if you'd like to work for your tickets to festival shows, consider becoming a volunteer. An online form allows you to pick your shifts. Volunteers serve as ushers, setup and breakdown events, staff the will call and membership tables, greet guests at the hospitality center and festival receptions, and more.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, movie, Seattle

The weather in the past few days reminds us that we're moving again toward the indoor season when a nice warm dry movie house becomes a welcoming cacoon.

Each October, the creative folks at Three Dollar Bill Cinema fully satisfy that urge with the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. This year's fest runs October 12 through 21 featuring a schedule packed with filmic presentations from first- and only-run features, to shorts, to retro TV shows.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on September 25 online and at Ticket/Ticket locations, but you can jump to the front of the line by becoming a Three Dollar Bill member for at little as $33. Members can buy tickets to any showing right now.

The festival opens Friday, October 12 at The Cinerama on with the gala west coast premier of the Paul Schrader's new film, The Walker starring Woody Harrelson as the black sheep of a blue-blood American family and gay best friend to DC society matrons. The all-star ensemble cast of Schrader's political drama/noir thriller includes Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall and Kristin Scott Thomas as wealthy DC grande dames, along with Ned Beatty, Willem Dafoe, and Mary Beth Hurt.

Your $27 ticket to the premier also includes a spectacular party following the screening at the soon-to-be-repurposed Naval Reserve Building on Lake Union [get directions]. The party kicks off the festival in high style with beverages, delicious offerings from some of Seattle's finest restaurants and chefs, and dancing into the night to the DJ's beats. And you don't even need to drive. Round trips on a big bus between the Cinerama and the Naval Reserve Building will be provided.

The challenge, of course, is figuring out which of the films you want to see and are able to see. This is a Seattle-style festival, so you'll have to pick your faves since won't be able to see all of the 121 presentations on the busy schedule. Most of the films are split among four venues: the Cinerama downtown [get directions] and -- on Capitol Hill -- the Harvard Exit [get directions], Northwest Film Forum [get directions], and Broadway Performance Hall [get directions]. But the geographic challenge increases with other shows at SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center [get directions], Central Cinema on 21st Ave. [get directions], and the downtown library [get directions].

Films are scheduled from noon to night on weekends and from 5 pm into the night on weekdays.

Print out the schedule or pick one up at many places around town. The nifty festival website this year lets you not only buy tickets and see capsule summaries of the films, but also helps you make your decisions with a very nice personal calendar feature.

And there's more than just films to keep you busy. The schedule also includes parties, panel discussions, free workshops more to to choose from.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle, movie, Seattle

OneDegree and Level5 will help you forget how cool this summer has been with a hot Labor Day party featuring DJ Chris Cox [his MySpace; his real web site]. And that's a big deal as his Wikipedia entry indicates:

Chris Cox is a dance music producer, remixer, and DJ and has worked on over 400 records. He has had a total of 40 Billboard dance chart number ones as part of the hitmaking remix team Thunderpuss, and others with Pusaka and as a solo artist. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for his production work with Cher.

Epic Sunday takes over Level 5, 325 5th Ave N, [get directions] on September 2 starting at 6 pm and continuing into the wee hours at 4 am. DJ Rob C from Vancouver will open the party with a four-hour set.

What starts out as a t-dance will turn into an all night dance party. Cover is $10 before 8 pm and $15 after 8. You can enjoy $3 wells if you arrive before 8. All night, you can sip on $2 domestic drafts or $6 red bull/vodkas.

This is the first of what OneDegree promises will become a series of holiday weekend parties at Level 5.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle

Local blogger "Ted" has a great video from Saturday's Blue Ball "Drag Bus" fundraiser. And it really does look like a fun time was had by all, proving that both boats and buses can successfully raise funds on the same day.

After seeing their splashy float in the downtown pride parade, we looked for a link to post something last month about the event, but didn't find it in time. We're delighted to now (even though we're way late) to find the link to event sponsor rosmariesbaby.com and to learn the history of the Drag Bus party and other parties sponsored by Philip:

John Gardner, of Aria Floral, started "Birthdays Are A Drag" years ago in New Orleans.

In order to ride the Birthday Bus, party goers were required to wear drag. The bus would take the participants on a bar tour of the city, terrorizing unsuspecting folks along the way.

In 1998, John moved to Seattle. Along with him came the party. There were 18 participants that first year. Each year thereafter, the party grew immensely - constantly changing the surprise locations, until the last party in 2005 tallied over 100 people. "Birthdays Are A Drag" was named the "Most Coveted Party Invitation" by OUT magazine in 2001. A documentary crew followed the 2002 event.

John passed on the torch to Philip Heier in 2006. The "Drag Bus" was then re-created into a charity event where drag is not required (though encouraged), the color theme mandatory, and the locations of the tour are no longer a secret.

Labels: drag show, fundraisers, gay party, Gay Seattle

One of the more unique drag shows you're ever likely to see happens tomorrow morning at Pier 55 on the downtown waterfront [get directions]. And that, right there, should tell you what's unique about it. It's in the morning, and when you consider how much time it takes these boys to put the "face" on, you'll recognize why an 11 am start time for a show is a rare thing. And there's more... It's free and its outside in the center of our town's tourist neighborhood.

This thing has happened every year for the past decade. It's the pre-boarding show for the Queen City Cruise, but you don't need tickets to the Cruise to enjoy the show. Just head down there and take in the show, and the reaction of the tourists -- a show in itself.
The Cruise this year is packed with entertainment, even beyond the highlights that the party's passengers will create. The event's mix-master bucket has been slaving over his computer mixing board for weeks to prepare the sounds to get keep you moving and shaking -- and occasionally laughing -- on the upper-deck dance floor. Carlo Cochran returns to play the mixes for the dance floor and for the entertainers.

Marina Dennis returns -- direct from Miami Beach -- to mark her tenth year as co-host of The Cruise and of the pre-boarding show.

"I can't believe it's been this long already since you first trusted me with this huge responsibility and opportunity," Marina said. "I have been so grateful to be a part of Tacky Tourist tradition, so if I haven't said it lately -- 'THANK YOU!' And I really want to thank all the passengers who have helped make this a wonderful 10 years."

Tony Buff did an outstanding job last year in his virgin outing as Marina's co-host and will be back again this year to see if he can manage more costume changes than the drag queens.

The entertainment starts at 11 am at Pier 55. Enjoy performances in the dock's amphitheater by Marina Dennis, Aleksa Manila, Chablis, Portland stars Marcy Kraft and Poison Waters, and -- of course -- by the incomparable LVHS
Cheerleaders. (See The Poodleer.)
Marcy Kraft [MySpace] and the Cheerleaders were all-stars of Lavender Valley High with several memorable performances during The Prom...You Never Went To! Marcy -- aka Jayson Malone -- went on from the Prom to perform for 11 years in the Las Vegas revue, An Evening at La Cage at the Riviera. At the Prom and in other Seattle appearances Jayson he worked with his uncanny resemblance to the incomparable Bette Midler to hone an act that is the next best thing -- and sometimes even better -- than seeing the Divine Miss M herself. During a nine-week run on London's West End, Jayson also wowed audiences with his impersonations of Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, and Dolly Parton.

Poison Waters also returns to The Cruise show from her home in Portland. Poison is not just a personality, Poison Waters is an experience. Hundreds of thousands have enjoyed the one of a kind entertainment and dynamic presence that only Poison Waters can provide.

Chablis brings her irreverent spirit into the daylight with another Cruise appearance. Chablis also entertains fans each week during her popular Sunday night show at R-Place, Lashes.
Aleksa Manila has held many titles since first appearing as "Alexis" in 1998 at a Halloween party among friends. Elected to posts including "Miss Gay Philipino", "40th Miss Gay Seattle", and -- last year -- Imperial Court Empress "Olympia XXXIII", Aleksa Manila is known in Seattle and beyond as a stellar drag artist, consummate host, and community activist. When not in face, 'he' educates the community about the harms of crystal methamphetamine with Project
NEON, a program of Seattle Counseling Service; tests for and counsels about HIV & STD with Public Health - Seattle and King County; and serves as Honorable Commissioner with the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities with the City of Seattle - Office of Civil Rights. Aleksa Manila will host ICON 4 this September.

And hey, if you want to try to get on the boat to watch a continuation of the party, you can get to the standby ticket page through that back-door link. A few more of the tickets have become available.

Labels: drag show, gay party, Gay Seattle

The multi-night 'Rapture' parties that had been scheduled for Vancouver's long Pride Weekend have been cancelled by their promoter, TBB Productions. But it remains a major party weekend nonetheless.

Vancouver's daily, the Sun, offers this brief guide. The Pride Society has a more complete calendar of official events. The parade is Sunday followed by a festival at Sunset Beach.

The three parties produced by BNO Productions -- Nocturnal on Friday night, Freedom Sunday night, and Re-Charge Monday from 7 am until 2 pm -- will take up much of the slack, although the producers website says only limited quantities of individual tickets are available for Nocturnal and Re-Charge. Seattle DJ Brian Gorr is the opening act at Nocturnal from 10 pm until midnight. DJ Tony Moran spins through the night until 7 am.

It's a three-day holiday weekend in Canada, so there's a wealth of activities for all three days.

Brian Gorr will also spin for Cabana Daze on Saturday, a pool party that benefits Loving Spoonful, Vancouver's HIV/AIDS service group that provides meals and food (similar to Lifelong's Chicken Soup Brigade here). It's at the Pacific Palisades Hotel, 1277 Robson -- "rain or shine." Online tickets are available -- $25.

There are a few cruises on Saturday and Sunday to choose from (although, really, now... if you're looking for a real cruise party... Just sayin')

Cream is a Sunday night party at Richards at 1036 Richards (which becomes, of course, "Dicks on Dicks), that goes on until 3am.

And, of course, way more...

Labels: Gay events, gay party, gay pride

Back in the day at a mythical state of mind called Lavender Valley High School, the often quarrelsome goings-on at the "school" were chronicled by its school newspaper, The Poodleer, which called itself "The Mouth-Organ of Lavender Valley High".

An edition of the paper would only make it into public consciousness about once a year, but it was always clear from reading it that it was published far more often in some kind of odd, parallel high-schoolish universe. It showed up shortly before a big party that was produced each Spring back then by Tacky Tourist Clubs. The party was called "The Prom...You Never Went To!" (punctuation required), but in the pages of The Poodleer, it was always just "The Prom."

Tacky Tourist Clubs is marking this year's tenth anniversary of the Last Prom with a Classless Reunion, including a tour of the Queen City Cruise called Pier Pressure. (By the way, tickets -- $50 -- are still available if you're willing to wait on the dock for the inevitable no-shows.)

It was virtually inevitable that an edition of The Poodleer would show up again in conjunction with such a Reunion. There have been a few hints of it before, but a close-to full-blown edition of the paper was published today to the Cruise mailing list and is available on the TTCA website.

And, yes... there's controversy.

There was always controversy in The Poodleer.

Each year, according to the paper, the very existence of the Lavender Valley High prom was threatened by some sort of calamity.

Some who worked their way through the often tortured sentences of the paper's stories thought that the made-up controversies were modeled after the contemporary controversies surrounding Pride events. Maybe. But one didn't have to model too closely. Any of the dozen editions of The Poodleer that were printed back then, over a decade ago, could have been pulled out to serve as commentary on the 2006-07 Pride controversies.

There's just something so essentially high-schoolish about it all. And let's get this part out of the way: Dewey Boulavard (or maybe it's "Boulevard" -- he rarely spells a multi-syllable name the same way twice, not even his own) is not modeled on Dan Savage. Dewey was editor of The Poodleer long before Savage was editor of The Stranger. If anything, the Savage character is modeled on Dewey Boulavard.

Labels: Dan Savage, gay party, Gay Seattle, history

The last Sunday Revival party at Level 5 [get directions] will have plenty of energy as the party's co-producer, OneDegree Events, honors the two Emerald City Softball teams sponsored by OneDegree -- Throttle and Team Revival. That, plus the party's usual "dancing, queers, and $1 beers". That last item is for domestic drafts. Other specials include $3 pitchers before 8pm, $6 red bull/vodkas, and $6 long islands.

DJ Brian Gorr will, once again, play his mixes on the club side of the venue. He told his mailing list

As you know, Sunday is the last Revival so I hope you can all make it out to Level 5 for what is sure to be a great evening of dancing and friends.

Lady Jane DJs on the lounge side of the club.

Party from 6 pm until midnight. Cover is $5.

Labels: gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle

Seattle Black Pride holds its summer festival and party starting next Thursday, July 19, with a singles mixer and after-work happy hour and live jazz band. The partying starts later that night with the Grown & Sexy Old Skool Funk Dance & VIP Party at Faire Gallery/Cafe, 1351 E. Olive Way [get directions] featuring DJ Kun Luv playing "Old Skool Funk / R&B." This one is for those age 30 and over. Tickets are $15.

The weekend marks its formal kickoff with a night of entertainment on Friday, July 20, from 8 to 10:30 pm at Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center [get directions]. D.C.'s own Xavier Bloomingdale serves as host for the evening of drag performances, live entertainment, and a fashion show. SBP promises a mystery "celebrity guest" for the evening. Tickets are $15.

The festival's big party is Saturday, July 21 from 9pm to 3am at Prince Hall Masonic Temple, 306 24th Ave S [get directions]. The party with the oh-so-appropriate title This is Why We're Hot! has two rooms in the venue, each with a unique "flava" featuring "House & Hip-Hop/R&B." [And, geez, your WebWrangler feels so old and white when trying to transcribe some of this. Apologies.] You'll be able to enjoy the eye-candy of male and female go-go dancers plus a special guest. Tickets are $20.

The busy weekend winds down on Sunday afternoon from 2pm to 7pm with a Family BBQ in the Park at Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill, 1635 11th Avenue [get directions]. The family friendly afternoon offers free food, live entertainment, African drumming and music. (Free admission.)

But the festival is about more than the parties. Serious topics will be tackled at a panel discussion and series of workshops on Saturday at Langston Hughes Center. A town-hall meeting and panel starting at 11 am will discuss dual identities among Black LGBT people as panelists and audience consider the question, "Can Black = Gay?"

A series of workshops begin at 1 pm to consider several issues including, "Handle Yo' Business: LGBT Legal Affairs & Domestic Partnerships", "Money Matters for People of Color: Investing, Saving and Stacking your Money", "Sexual Healing": Women's Sexual Health", "Let's Get it On: Men's Sexual Health".

Admission to the Saturday panel and workshops is free.

Online tickets are not yet available through the SBP website, but tickets will be available at the door.

Labels: gay organization, gay party, gay pride, Gay Seattle, Seattle

Tacky Tourist Clubs of America marched with Butch the prize-winning big pink "Trojan Poodle" at the two Pride parades as a way of introducing a short series of events called the "Classless Reunion" that will reach climax on August 11 aboard the 26th annual Queen City Cruise which has been given the reunion tour name "Pier Pressure."

The most elaborate of the pre-Cruise Classless Reunion parties will be held tomorrow, Friday the 13th at Seattle Eagle [see bar map] starting at 9:13 pm. It's a Night in Detention, to be hosted by Cruise co-host Tony Buff, serving on Friday as Friar Buff, Dean of Discipline.

Friar Buff will be joined at the party by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan, and by the wood-shop instructor who has volunteered to stay after school to help students in detention learn a useful skill. On Friday night, he'll offer special instruction in the art of wood-stroking -- always a popular subject.

All of that high-schoolish double-entendre hearkens back to a party that Tacky Tourists last hosted ten years ago, in 1997. It was called The Prom...You Never Went To! and attracted thousands each spring to multiple rooms in a venue that looks remarkably like a boomer high school, The Mountaineers Building on lower Queen Anne. For one night each year from 1983 until 1997, the building became Lavender Valley High School and launched thousands of stories.


Your current WebWrangler used to contribute slightly to those stories by channeling a character called Dewey Boulavard who was "editor-in-chief" of a fake newspaper called The Poodleer ("chief" -- although sometimes spelled "cheif" by Dewey -- was always required). It started out as a one-and-a-half page feature story in a short-lived gay paper called Lights. By the end of the party's run, the fake high-school paper had become a four- or eight-page insert in Seattle Gay News. For The Poodleer, I made up the stories, built quotations out of vaguely character-appropriate hole cloth, and even made up names occasionally when someone was required for a quotation.

What always struck me as remarkable about the party, is that even some of those made-up characters from The Poodleer would appear a few weeks later at The Prom. But that was the magic of the party: Its theme encouraged most of the thousands who bought tickets to create their own fantastic high-school stories. Each year, partiers would create the costumes and stories for dozens of school groups that nobody planning the party had ever expected. One year, a group came "back from Dead Man's Curve" with tire marks to prove it. There were oh-so-many pregnant "girls" along with the non-necessarily exclusive "Hebrew Club," and many naughty waitresses, chearleaders, jocks and nerds. Each had a story to tell that was often just as fascinating as the costumes.


And, now, let us double-bury a lead here: This year's 26th Cruise which honors that party last held a decade ago is to be the last Cruise sponsored by Tacky Tourist Clubs. Randy Henson, the event's creator and creative director from the start in 1981, has been hinting at doing this for years, but promises that this will be the last Cruise for which he will serve as producer. The Cruise is expected to continue next year with a different group taking on primary production responsibilities. Randy has said that he will remain involved as a consultant to the new sponsor, but the party is likely to change -- perhaps significantly -- with a new sponsor.

A change in producers isn't unprecedented for Tacky Tourist Clubs. After several years in the 80s of producing Seattle's biggest Halloween party, Tacky Tourists transferred production responsibility for Things that Go Bump In the Night to Gay City and Seattle Men's Chorus. Since then, the party's new producers have turned The Bump into an even bigger fall party. The Cruise is also likely to continue and might similarly grow more elaborate under a new producer.

We bury this part of the story, because Randy hasn't yet been willing to announce the change publicly, and so we're talking here "out of school" as it were. Some of us who have worked with him over the years, are guessing that he'll reconsider, but that seems unlikely. It seems only fair, while there are still some tickets available for the Cruise, to give those who have occasionally enjoyed the party during its twenty-six year run a chance to celebrate the last Tacky Tourist production of the event.

Ten years ago, the last Prom was promoted as such. It gave folks one last chance to experience Lavender Valley's big dance. We figure it's only fair to give those who have enjoyed the Cruise over the years a similar chance to enjoy its unique spirit one last time under the guidance of its original producer.

Labels: fundraisers, gay bar, gay organization, gay party

We're admittedly late with this (as we have been with everything for the past few weeks. Mea culpa), but if you're still looking for a way to kick off the pre-4th weekend, consider the Red, White & Blue Party with DJ John Miller at The Cuff [see bar map].



Another option: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of St. Joan will be selling Jello shots (Stoli style) tonight at Manray [map] as a benefit for the Pet Project which will also be holding a pet-friendly party this summer called WoofStock. It takes to the grasses of Volunteer Park with help from the Sisters on Sunday, August 19.

Woofstock is the "after-party" event for this summer's poodle-powered "LVHS Classless Reunion." You might recall Butch the big pink poodle mascot of the Reunion from last week's parades.

Pet Project is a volunteer service of the Seattle/King County Humane Society that helps people with AIDS keep and care for their pets.

Because studies show that the companionship of a pet can greatly improve the quality of life, we responded by initiating Pet Project, a program that services people disabled by AIDS. In addition to providing economic relief, the program supports the unique power and healing that comes from the connection between people and pets, especially since clients may be housebound and have limited social contact or energy for daily tasks.

Pet Project matches volunteers one-on-one with clients, handling most of their pet care needs on a monthly basis, and enables clients to keep their pets while spending their limited resources on food and other living expenses for themselves. All services and supplies are donated or purchased with donated funds. Committed to supporting people and pets as lifelong companions, Pet Project literally makes the difference between keeping an animal and having to give it up.

Labels: gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle

This year's 26th annual tour of the Queen City Cruise slips away from its dock on downtown Seattle's Pier 55 at 1200 hours (that's noon to landlubbers) on Saturday, August 11. The ruby-red lips on the bow of the Goodtime II will be puckered and ready to blow (kisses, that is) as the party boat takes its five-hour tour of Seattle's wettest spots, including -- of course -- the ever-popular passage to and fro through the Ballard Locks.

Tickets for this incredible party are still $50. They go on sale this Saturday, June 23 and are available only online at ttca.org. (But here's a special blog-reader hint for those who hope to avoid any virtual lines: The tickets button is currently live on the site for a "preview sale", so you could actually snap up some of the first tickets even before the official start date.)

The Queen City Cruise is -- as we're wont to call it on this blog's (current) host site -- an "Unforgettable Naughtycal Adventure on the High Seas" and a deliciously deviant contribution to Seafair. If you haven't been on the boat yet and wonder what that means, you can get a hint from the photos in the TTCA gallery. (But, really, the on-board photographers are usually circumspect about what they're willing to share with the public site, so you'll have to use your imagination. But don't go too far. Remember, it's called naughtycal and not nastycal.)


The theme of this year's Queen City Cruise is Pier Pressure. "Why?", you ask. It's because the Cruise this year is the climax event of the LVHS Classless Reunion. The Reunion a full summer of activities commemorating the student bodies of Lavender Valley High School.


Some of you might recall Lavender Valley High as the home of Seattle?s most notorious springtime party: THE PROM... You Never Went To!. That party had a fourteen-year run from 1983 to 1997. This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Last Prom, so the Tacky Tourists are celebrating the occasion by holding a Classless Reunion. (It's classless because graduation was never something that caught on at Lavender Valley High School.)

Even if you don't remember any of that, don't worry. All you need to know is that LVHS was some kind of ineffable place or feeling. It existed in its own odd world where everyone had the chance either to create the high school that we wished we went to or to make up bizarro versions of the places we actually did suffer through. And create they did. Again, the TTCA galleries feature a few hints of what things were like.


The brain trust of Tacky Tourist Clubs is hoping that some of the same creative energy will be on display this summer on the Cruise and other Classless Reunion events.

To help spur the creative juices (ahem), TTCA has created Butch. You'll see him this weekend if you go to either or (come now -- show your Spirit) both of the Pride parade/marches. Butch is the huge, very pink, tres gay, and well-endowed (sorry Bob Barker) mascot of the LVHS Fighting Poodles. You'll see him rolling down both Broadway and Fourth, and may even catch sight of him elsewhere over the weekend. (Go ahead, pet him. He's friendly.)

Blogger's note

Your webWrangler sends this personal note: I'm sorry for the lax posting during the past week or more. I've missed a few things that deserved to be posted, and still haven't gotten to making a complete wrap-up of Pride events. (Still hoping to get to that tomorrow.)

If you dig through to the url of our site or our RSS feed, you'd note the original intent of this blog that has long since moved on to other things: QueenCityCruiseNews is what the feed is still named. And that partly explains the recent posting downfall.

Mostly, now, I leave the Cruise news to an email list and only occasionally post an update here. But whether it's on the list or here on this blog or in the too-long text parts of posters, flyers, and such, I do end up writing most of it. And frankly, I'm not all that good at multi-tasking these days. So while the site got its updated pages for the Reunion, the Cruise, and all that, the blog took a back seat. We'll be back to the usual schedule in a few weeks, so keep (or start) sending those press releases for us to rewrite.

And, yes... as I've been hinting for months: This blog will move to its own URL late in the summer. Given the lack of participation here in the comments, I'm not sure it's worth it, but other indications tell me that there actually are a few folks reading some of the posts. For you, we'll give a dedicated site a try. Later.

Labels: fundraisers, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle

It looks like our unseasonable spurt of summer will last through at least Sunday. And who among us doesn't enjoy a summer spurt, eh?

One good way to celebrate a good summer day is with a barbeque on a patio. If you haven't been invited to a private party of that kind, you should check out The Cuff [see bar map] on Sunday. Washington State Mr. Leather 2007, Gylan Green, hosts an afternoon of "burgers, dogs, and buns" Sunday, June 3, from 4 to 8 pm on The Cuff's large patio space.

The fundraiser was dubbed "Hot City Barbeque" when nobody could have know the name would be so appropriate this weekend.

It's a benefit for Gay City and Project Neon of Seattle Counseling service.

Of course they will also host their weekly T-dance all afternoon and evening in Cuff Dance. DJ Peter Calandra mixes. The usual "Dollar Sunday" specials apply: $4 double wells and $1 domestic drafts/sodas.

Labels: fundraisers, gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle

OneDegree Events, Egan Orion's company that is producing an array of Pride Weekend activities in and near Seattle Center, has announced that it has signed on with local festival management experts Festivals Inc to help with production of PrideFest, the free-admission Seattle Center festival that will be held Sunday afternoon, June 24 from 11 am until 7 pm, with main programming from 2 pm until 6 pm.

New Growth Event Solutions, a division of Festivals Inc., will serve as the production management team for PrideFest 2007. Festivals Inc. produces Bite of Seattle each summer at Seattle Center and Taste of Tacoma. According to OneDegree's press release, Festivals and New Growth were chosen "for their familiarity with Seattle Center, both at the administration and operational level."

"We have many years of experience producing high-profile events at Seattle Center," noted Bjorn Estlund, the lead on the New Growth Events production team. "We have always enjoyed working in conjunction with the Center and look forward to building this partnership with PrideFest to be a part of this important event."

New Growth will be responsible for general festival operations including mapping the grounds, laying out booths, contracting all service providers, and on-site management.

One Degree will run free shuttles from PrideFest to Capitol Hill starting at 4 pm on June 24. Shuttles will leave every half hour between 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and will drop guests off at clubs and bars that sponsor buses for PrideFest.

Later in the evening, One Degree, will also provide shuttle service from the Hill to Level 5 for the company's Sunday party, Revival, which will be held at Level 5 across the street from EMP from 5 pm to 2 am.

Entertainment lineup for the festival is still developing, but OneDegree has already booked entertainment from every corner of the gay community. DJs includes DJ Bryan Pfeifer (LA), Wasabi and LA Kendall from Re:Launch-Hitgirl! Productions and DJ Kyler (c89.5). National performing talent includes Inaya Day, Reina, and Abigail. They're saying, coyly, that the lineup will "likely feature at least one comedian." PrideFest has confirmed State Senator Ed Murray and will announce more speakers as agreements are made.

Orion offers this reflection on the busy weekend: ?Pride Weekend has important events going on in every corner of the city," Orion said, "from house parties to bar and club events to special events like our big Saturday night party at EMP Sky Church, One Mighty Pride Party, and Festivals like PrideFest and QueerFest."

"There is enough business to go around for everybody to be successful," he said. "Pride can be on both Capitol Hill and Downtown. It's bigger than any one person or one event. Pride is about community, and at the end of the weekend, hopefully we?ll be able to forget the politics that have divided us and embrace that which connects us all in this very vibrant gay community."

OneDegree has also hired sponsorship consultant Cindy Baccetti, who had previously worked with SOAP, a local group that had tried and failed to sponsor a Center festival this year. She is quoted as noting that "Wide spread support and excitement from the business community about PrideFest continues to strengthen as we approach the event." Eleven corporate sponsors are named in the press release.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Seattle, Seattle Pride

If you don't have them already, you've missed the steepest discounts for pre-sale tickets to the big downtown Pride weekend parties, One Mighty Pride at EMP and Tribe at Level 5, but hefty discounts are still available on the ticket price.

Tickets to "The Party", One Mighty Pride are available until June 1 for $40. The price then rises to $45 until June 21. Cost will be $55 at the door. Tickets to Tribe, the after-hours party at Level 5, are $25 before June 21 and $30 at the door.

VIP passes are available for $150. That will get you priority access to those two parties as well as a Friday night Military Party also produced by OneDegree at Neumo's and to Revival, OneDegree's post-festival Pride version of its Sunday party at Level 5.
The parties are produced by Seattle's master empressario Egan Orion and associates at OneDegree Events. One Mighty Pride will be held Saturday, June 23 from 8 pm until 2 am in Seattle's best party venue, EMP Sky Church [get directions]. The party features DJ Joe Gauthreaux from New York City and performances by Frenchie Davis [plays music] of American Idol, Rent, and Dreamgirls. That's inside SkyChurch.

Outside on the plaza, you'll enjoy another party with DJ Funky Bear and Ladyjane DJ. Tired of dancing? Take an amusement park ride. The Fun Forest Rides adjacent to EMP will be open Saturday night exclusively to One Mighty Pride guests.

At midnight, Frenchie will be accompanied by the Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus in a special homage to the gay rights movement.

25% of net proceeds from the parties will be donated to non-profits in the community: Gay City, Verbena, Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus.

The music, dancing, and partying doesn't have to stop at 2 am because the all-night party, Tribe, kicks off at 1 am and continues until 8 am across the street from EMP at Level 5 [get directions].

DJ Escape from New York City mixes. Rascal Video's Johnny Hazzard [link not safe for work] will entertain and titillate with go-go dancing.

OneDegree still isn't finished when Tribe disbands because their free-admission PrideFest at Fisher Pavilion and the lawn next to the Fountain kicks off at noon and runs until 6 pm in Seattle Center. The festival boasts a beer garden, booths (for-profit and non-profit), a mainstage with DJ Bryan Pfeifer from LA, performers and speakers, and food booths.

The party then moves across the street again to Level 5 where a special Pride Sunday edition of OneDegree's weekly Revival T-Dance starts at 5 pm and continues to 2 am. DJ Bryan Pfeifer moves over to provide the early mixes until 7 pm. Seattle's own DJ Brian Gorr [music] spins from 8 pm until close. The party is included in OneDegree's $150 VIP Pass. Individual tickets are available at the door only. Entry before 7 pm will cost $5 with a $10 cover after 7.

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Pride

This is the big weekend for the Seattle Quake Rugby Team, as they host their annual tournament, Magnatude 15.07. The games take place on the fields of Marymoore Park in Redmond [get directions] all day Saturday. Look for the large tents pitched near the "pitch" (we figured out that that's what they call a field).

If you head over to the large eastside park, you'll be able to see plenty of games. Seattle Quake competes with teams from seven other cities -- Minneapolis Mayhem, Dallas Diablos, Portland Avalanche, San Francisco Fog, Pheonix Storm, Los Angeles Rebellion, and Vancouver Rogues. (Great names all, eh?)

Saturday's preliminary-round games feature 15-minute halves with games starting at 10 am, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15 pm, 1:30, and 2 pm. The winning teams then face off with 20-minute halves at 2:45 pm, 3:05, 3:30 and 4 pm.

But hey, it's a tournament of gay rugby teams, so there's more than just scrums on the pitch [or something like that]. There are plenty of parties, too, with the official ones happening at sponsor bars C.C. Attles, R Place, and The Cuff. [see bar map]

It starts tonight (Thursday) with a pre-festival informal get-together at CC's from 7 until 10 pm.

Registration is Friday at R-Place from 7 to 9 pm. Quake will set up a merchandise table to sell their sexy Quake gear.

The Cuff hosts the big post-match party Saturday from 7 to 10 pm. Tickets for the public (that's all the rest of us who aren't black-and-blue from the day's scrums [or whatever they call them]) are $10. There will be a kangaroo court, announcement and awards, and a closing ceremony.

It's still not over, though, because Quake will host a fundraiser Sunday at The Cuff from 4 to 8 pm featuring $3 burgers, brats, and brews, along with raffle tickets and Jello shots.

And just in case you're not familiar with Quake, here's the official boilerplate:

The Seattle Quake Rugby Football Club is a non-profit, community-based, amateur athletic organization.

The mission of the Seattle Quake RFC is to foster local, regional, national and international participation and competition in the game of Rugby Union Football and to create an environment where members of the community can learn the laws and practice of Rugby Union Football thereby improving their capabilities as players.

The Seattle Quake RFC is especially focused on providing opportunities for learning and playing competitive Rugby Union Football to communities traditionally under-represented in the sport, including gay men and men of color.

Labels: fundraisers, gay bar, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle, sports

Purr greatly expands your Pride Weekend options on Friday, June 22 through Sunday, June 24 with a series of theme parties, live concerts, and dance events at the Capitol Hill nightclub [see bar map]. Purr's owner, Barbie Humphrey, said she's excited to offer live performances by dance divas and pop stars for the first time in the large space.

A performance stage will be set up at the far end of the nightclub for the weekend. Cover for each evening performance is only $5.

Purr will also offer a Sunday T-Dance with DJ Jst from Boston.

Humphrey told us that some details are still being worked out, but offered this initial schedule below. (The links are all to MySpace Music pages, so -- of course -- tunes will play automatically):

Friday, June 22 -- Toga Party

• Loren Hildebrandt (Burnin Out)
• Jacinta (Can't Keep a Secret)

Saturday, June 23 -- Military Party

• Allyson
• Sean van der Wilt (Boom Ba Boom)

Sunday, June 24 -- Beach Party

• Afternoon T-Dance with DJ Jst, Boston
• Jenna Drey (By the Way)
• Erin Hamilton (Dreamweaver)

Labels: gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Pride

Matthew Browning has posted his usual collection of great shots from the May Gay Bingo night which had the entertaining Mother's Day theme, "Come As Your Mother."

It looks like Glamazonia's mother is ready to shove a Pop-Tart into the toaster and send the kids on their way.

It's sold out, but there is still one more game: Rocky Horror Gay Bingo on June 9. Lifelong offered a few last minute tickets at their thrift store this month, so there's still a slight hope that you could get in there to do the Time Warp again. Matt's MySpace blog offered a warning for this month's rush tickets. You might watch and hope again this month. (That link goes to Murdoch's closed MySpace world, so it may not work from the unprivileged web.)

Labels: drag show, fundraisers, Gay events, gay party

The Seattle Center "PrideFest" whose existence was telegraphed last week by the event's "promotional sponsor", The Stranger, and by Seattle Times was officially announced this weekend by One Degree Events, Egan Orion's private production company that has produced several popular parties for the past two years, including the weekly Revival parties at Level 5.

In the announcement to the company's public mailing list, One Degree promises

Everything you expect from a Festival will be at PrideFest: A beer garden, booths (for-profit and non-profit), a mainstage with a DJ, performers and speakers, food booths, and one amazing community! We just signed our contract for the space and are going to be quickly building the rest of our program. ...

PrideFest takes place on Sunday, June 24 from noon to 6pm in the Fisher Pavilion and Internaitonal Fountain areas of Seattle Center. DJ Bryan Pfeifer from LA has been booked for the Sunday celebration that follows SOAP's downtown pride parade.

One Degree had previously announced [pdf format] a busy weekend of evening parties during pride week under the title "One Mighty Pride".

Our special weekend of events, as well as the big Saturday night all-community centerpiece event of Pride, is called One Mighty Pride.

Featuring Broadway performance stars, A?List DJs from all over the country, and high production values, the four events will also have a half a dozen non?profit organizations as beneficiaries, with a minimum of 25% of net proceeds from our Saturday night event going to these great causes plus further contributions coming from the other three events. ...

DJ Joe Gauthreaux, from New York City, will be headlining the One Mighty Pride Party. One of the rising stars amongst the gay dance party scene nationally, Gauthreaux has earned his striped. He's drawn huge crowds spinning for some huge events as Montreal's Black & Blue Ball, Toronto Pride and Cherry in D.C. In 2002, his prominence propelled him into even greater success when he released his first compilation CD through Centaur Records, called Party Groove. His high profile role in the music world led him to his ongoing tenure as a reporter for Billboard magazine.

DJ and music producer Escape (www.djescape.com) will be headlining Tribe, our men's afterhours party at Level 5 (formerly Element). Escape is from New York city and is straight, but long ago found a following in the gay community because he felt that gay men really appreciated the music played. He has released eight studio mix CDs, and has produced a number of popular remixes, including the Escape v. Gomi remixes of John Mellencamp's "Jack And Diane", Jessica Simpson's "Take My Breath Away", and Kristine W.'s "The Wonder of it All."

Tickets for all of the One Degree parties are now on sale. A "VIP Pass" for all of the parties costs $150. Tickets to One Mighty Pride and/or Tribe are also available.

Combining the two announcements, we get this preliminary schedule for the One Degree events:

• Friday, June 22, 10pm-3am -- Military Party at Neumo?s ? DJ Rob Hall (NYC)
• Saturday, June 23 8pm-2am -- One Mighty Pride Party at EMP Sky Church ? DJ Joe Gauthreaux (NYC), Frenchie Davis, DJ Funky Bear, and more to be announced
• Saturday, June 23/24, 1:30am-8am -- Tribe at Level 5 (formerly Element), a men?s party ? DJ Escape with special guest performer
• Sunday, June 24, Noon to 6pm -- PrideFest at Seattle Center with DJ Bryan Pfeifer (LA).
• Sunday, June 24, 5pm to 2am -- Revival at Level 5 with DJ Bryan Pfeifer (LA) and DJ Brian Gorr (SEA) with many more performers to be announced soon.

The PrideFest will feature booths and information tables available to both non-profit groups and businesses. Costs range from $75 for a table by a non-profit group to $2500 for a "Gold Sponsor Booth."

One Degree is accepting applications for those who would like to host a food vender booth at PrideFest. Book a space by emailing vendors[at]onemightypride.com. One Degree "reserve[s] the right the choose whichever businesses we feel will best suit the event, but will be as fair as we can in deciding which food vendors we'll use. Since we have limited space, we want to first place priority on variety, so the first inquiry from each type of food category will likely be the one chosen to serve at the event."

For local businesses, food booths cost $800 for a 10 foot by 10 foot booth or $1300 for a 10x20 foot booth. The fee for national businesses is $2500.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Pride

If the weather puts you in the mood to celebrate Spring, then you're in luck. On Saturday, Tribe takes over Level 5, the newly remodeled venue near Seattle Center [get directions] that was formerly known as Element. Party from 10 pm until 4 am. Cover is $15 or $10 if you get there before 11 pm.

The party is produced by One Degree Events (formerly Overload), the same folks who bring you Revival Sundays and more great parties over the years. They describe the new Spring event this way:

Tribe is a ritual gathering for men - something new, fresh, hot, and full of memorable entertainment and memories with our tribe. One Degree is happy to welcome DJ Phil B, one of the nation's hottest DJs, back to Seattle. Will be featuring fire performers and drummers. A great night of ritual and friends!

DJ Phil B from San Francisco will spin on the main dancefloor. He's has played MASS SF, sets at Sundance, White Party and lots of other great parties.

DJ Brian Gorr and DJ Kyler share the quieter area of the club "spinning chill, dubby, mellow house music on the lounge side if you want a break from Phil B's high energy music." DJ Brian explains

Kyler and I will be sharing a set of deep house, minimal, dubby, loungy music on the other dance floor. Yep, you will be hearing me spin a very different set than I normally do so come on out and see what happens. I'll be on first from 10-1 and then Kyler will take over to smooth out your night until 4.

And to pull out your deeper tribalism, the party also features fire performers and drummers.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle

Seattle Out and Proud (SOAP), the non-profit group overseeing a professional production of a Sunday festival at Seattle Center on June 24, has announced a few of the acts that will be featured at its "Seattle Pride" festival. A press release promises several more "national performers" for the festival, but offers this preview of the acts:

Confirmed so far are God-des and She (who you've heard on the the L Word and Logo), Kim Kuzma, Danille Bollinger, Kristi Kay and DJ Joe Bermudez. We're partnering with The Rat City Rollergirls to present their "Big Gay Bout at Seattle Pride" at Key Arena featuring Derby Liberation Front vs. Grave Danger, and the Throttle Rockets vs. our visiting team the Denver Roller Dolls, with 10% of ticket sales going to support Lambert House. And of course you'll be able to get wet at the Fountain Dance Party - the best all wet dance party ever!

The festival is produced by the professional events company Independent Event Solutions, which also produces the annual Capitol Hill Block Party in association with The Stranger, KEXP, and other media outlets.

Not surprisingly, given their association with the event's professional producers, The Stranger has become far more involved with this year's SOAP event. The weekly has partnered with SOAP to offer a $5,000 in cash prizes to worthy parade entrants, including the The Stranger's Seattle Pride Parade Awards - Best in Show. We can, of course, expect that to become "Seattle's Only" parade award, in keeping with the paper's usual marketing slogan.

A "panel of community celebrities" will decide on prizes for "the most creative and well produced entrants." (Wanna bet that a well-known nationally syndicated sex columnist and newspaper editor will be one of those celebrities?)

SOAP has maintained production responsibility for the 4th Avenue parade that serves as a primary marketing tool for their festival. They promise in their press release that the parade, which last year was one of the most misterably produced events in town, will be done right this year, "for a concise 2.5 hours and focused on being tighter with stronger, more creative entries."
Online parade and vender-booth registration will be available sometime soon on the SOAP website, according to the press release.

SOAP has signed several advertisers for their events and also claims to have reached a "great partnership" with local organizations including the Seattle LGBT Community Center, MPowerment (Lifelong AIDS Alliance?s Youth Outreach program), Girl4GIRL promotions, and "several Capitol Hill bars." [Note: Tacky Tourist Clubs, the host of this blog, has also signed on as a supporter of the SOAP events. Any snarkiness here reflects only the opinion of the author, Robin Evans aka "WebWrangler", and does not reflect the attitude of the organization.]

Fundraiser tonight

SOAP continues to operate as a volunteer-run non-profit. They will hold a fundraising dinner called "Come Together" Family Style tonight at Buca di Beppo, 701 9th Ave N [get directions]. Dinner is at 5 pm. The tab is $30.00 per person. A "portion of the proceeds" will benefit SOAP. Enjoy a dinner-time performance by Seattle area cabaret artist and musician Jacob Mahoney. Get your Evite.

Labels: Gay events, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, Seattle Pride

Ya gotta give it to the folks at Ginch Gonch underwear: They know how to promote their product to gay guys. And, hey, with pics and vids like these from the Boy Culture premier party, we'll gladly fall for it.


Ethan Reynolds, Benjamin Bradley and more Gonch Boys were out in force at the premier of Boy Culture [prior post]. The underwear company was a co-sponsor of the party along with The Advocate and TLA Releasing. A "Mr. Nightlife Hollywood" says of the party that was packed not only with packed underwear, but many of the gay-, playing-gay, or just gay-friendly faces in Hollywood:

Hollywood film premieres can be lots of fun to attend, but every-so-often you go to one that leaves you saying "boy, oh boy that was lots of fun" days later. Such was the case with the premiere of the critically acclaimed indie film Boy Culture.

You might ask, "What happens when Ginch Boys come out (out of their brief briefs, that is)?" Fortunately, for those willing to follow a not-safe-for-work link, PartyWithBrandon.com has the explicit but unnamed details.

Wearing limited edition Boy Culture-logo briefs, Ethan and Benjamin also headed out elsewhere on the town, also visiting the birthday party for celebrity gossipist Perez Hilton.


YouTube link

And, of course, there was a photo shoot with the not-available-to-you logo briefs:


YouTube link

But, really. Given our obvious fondness for sailor pictures, we couldn't resist this one from the current front page of the Ginch Gonch site:

Labels: eye candy, gay party, link bites, shirtless hunk

As they contract in some corners, your dance party options will soon expand in other directions.

Rebar has announced the return of their long-running Queer Disco, featuring Queen Lucky and DJ Venus. They start spinning the funk and old school mixed with a little bit of the new school this Thursday, March 29 at 10pm. Cover is $5. Queer Disco will return for pre-weekend partying on the last Thursday of each month.

Queen Lucky is arguably Seattle's longest running veteran female DJ. Her resume of spinning, reads like history of the NW dance scene.

Most DJ's get revered by their peers when they've been spinning past the 10 year mark. Queen lucky has been doing it for 17. She spun at the original Queer Disco for 12. Her most recent notable accomplishments include a residency at R Place where she still packs it every Friday; and Headlining Pandora's Box which was Seattle's longest running lesbian hip hop night lasting for over 14 years.

Sabrina Kelley "DJ VENUS" has been a performer and artist all her life. For Sabrina, she began training at the British Dance Academy for 8 years. However, with her back ground it was no surprise when she began to play piano reading and writing music. When Venus was first seduced by Electronic Music and DJing she Learned quickly and began playing venues all over the state.

Her work with Donald Glaude's Respect Recordings helped her secure long-time residencies in Seattle's top and renowned clubs such including Last Supper Club, Medusa, and Club Element.

Revival, the popular Sunday party, returns on April 15 and will now be a weekly party for your weekend-end pleasure. There are a couple of changed names involved with the party. The large uptown venue with two dancefloors where the party is held has changed its name from Element to Level 5. Egan Orion's production company, formerly called Overload, now operates under the new name, One Degree Events. Level 5 and One Degree co-produce the party along with Gemini Productions (which hasn't changed its name).

Revival will feature "Dancing, Queers, and $1 Beers" every Sunday from 5pm to midnight at Level 5 [get directions].

But you don't have to wait until April 15 for a One Degree high-production party.

One Degree will present this year's Rites of Spring party, Tribe on Saturday, April 7 at Level 5. DJ Phil B from San Francisco will spin mixes for a night of "men, ritual, drummers, lasers, and music."

Labels: gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle

It's always delightful to hear from or hear about an old friend that one has lost contact with. The internet makes that kind of serendipitous reconnection at least slightly more common. A semi-regular search that we do for "seattle gay" on Google news turned up this item from the Rappahannock Times, a community paper in Virginia.

Meet Ann Georgia McCaffray is the headline. "Hey, we used to know an Ann McCaffray," we thought. And sure enough, the brief item is about the same Ann:

Sperryville resident Ann Georgia McCaffray is a painter, designer, activist, early advocate for persons with HIV/AIDS and the sole surviving co-founder of Seattle AIDS Support Group. She played a key role in helping to establish a support network in Seattle throughout the first decade of the AIDS epidemic and was recognized this week for her work in an issue of the Seattle AIDS Support Group Newsletter.

Ann was born and raised in Seattle on Capitol Hill. As a young woman with a background in Theatre & Landscape Architecture, she graduated in the late 70s from the Conway School of Landscape Design in Massachusetts and ended up back in Seattle working on Broadway at what was then "The Seattle Design Store". During this time she was doing graphic design work. She was a vibrant and active young woman engaged with her community and with her many friends.

Ann was deeply moved by the death of her gay friends and thus, her AIDS advocacy was born. As a straight woman Ann didn't have any difficulty being accepted into this scene of mostly gay men. Many had been rejected by their families because they had AIDS or just because they were gay. "I was readily accepted into the gay fold as a surrogate family member. When people came in to the group my first response was to go up and hug them -- I knew how to hug! Being hugged by a woman was a huge deal at this time; many doctors wouldn't even touch gay men." The legacy of Ann's early work lives on in the form of organizations that continue to support persons with AIDS.

In Rappahannock County, Ann Georgia's studio is one of the most popular on the RAAC Art Tour circuit. She has creatively organized a substantial group of many of the county's favorite artists to present their work in her light filled and energetic space. Most recently Ann Georgia led a variety of February programs at the Middle Street Gallery, one of which was 42 people making Valentines! Sperryville salutes this talented artist and joins with the people of Seattle in recognizing her compassion and advocacy.

And we join with Sperryville in greeting and thanking Ann.


In addition to her work with SASG (now Dunshee House), Ann was one of the founding members of Tacky Tourist Clubs, the group that kindly and tolerantly hosts this blog. You can read a bit about the early days of that group here. Along with Rick Rankin, Ann created the name and theme of TTCA's long-running big Spring party, The Prom...You Never Went To! Ann also created the first incarnation of one of the characters that would be a mainstay of the party, Miss Ann Thropy, administrative assistant to Lavender High School principal, Sister Mary Discipline.

Scott Gehring took the Miss Ann role to great heights even after Ann left to pursue her work with SASG.

We'll be celebrating a few of those characters (and probably many more) this summer when the Queen City Cruise [and yes, we'll update that page real soon now] hosts for a tenth anniversary commemoration of the last dance at The Prom. Lavender Valley High will return from its virtual slumber for the Classless Reunion Tour of the Cruise.

Labels: activism, gay organization, gay party, Gay Seattle

Local photographers are keeping the web supplied with quick visual records of gay parties and events in town. Photographers Matt Browning and Brian Westbrook have joined together as SeattlePaparazzi.com. They offer pics of recent Gay Bingo events. Browning also has pictures of this weekend's show by Lily Armani.

Malcolm Smith, who has recently offered us shots from the Revival parties has a good collection of pictures up on his site from Whistler gay ski week 2007, WinterPride.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle, link bites, photos, whistler

Gemini, one of the co-producers of the event, has a hot collection of photos by Malcolm Smith now online from last week's Revivial party at Element.

On this BratBoySchool Bulletin, Ethan Reynolds had this to say about their time in town

Once again the Emerald City made us feel welcomed and like VIPs. Our event for Revival Sunday seemed to go quite well. The crowd was packed, the music was great, and the place seemed filled with excitement....

As many of you already know, Seattle is home for Ben. So there is a special feeling when we step off the airplane. His mood is brighter and his laugh is even more infectious. This visit allowed us to dance as Project BE, be a part of a photo shoot, and spend time around his home. I absolutely love his family and enjoy seeing them.

He also noticed I-957 while he was here and likes the approach.

[By the way, those coming from there are looking for the post just below this one.]

Labels: eye candy, gay party, Gay Seattle, photos, shirtless hunk

It's Revival day once again. Seattle's new Sunday party will make its second apperance this evening starting at 6 pm at Element, [get directions], across the street from EMP at Seattle Center. Party until midnight with a cover of only $5.
Tonight's featured guests are go-go boys Benjamin Bradley and his boyfriend Ethan Reynolds. It's a bit of a public homecoming for Bradley who grew up in the Seattle area and graduated last year from Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Bradley got his start in porn when after he met fellow Seattlite Roman Heart. In an interview with Reynolds, his current beau and go-go partner at tonight's Revival, Bradley explained how he first met Heart who was already a noted porn star.

We met through mutual friends. We both grew up in the Seattle region, and I knew of him from the gay community gossip. I knew he did porn, and I had always wanted to meet him to see if he was as beautiful in person as he was in his photos. And he was. We met around Halloween of 2004. Long story short, we both felt instant attraction not only physically but emotionally. Its really hard to describe, but I fell so hard and so fast for him. We always had so much fun together, and felt so at ease in each other's presence. Although we are not currently together, we still have an amazing bond. He is honestly my first TRUE love.

Heart asked Bradley to do a scene with him for the video, Driver. Bradley was hired to do a second appearnce for Falcon Video in Cross Country, Part 1. He then did Sized Up, Little Big League 2: 2nd Inning, and Boot Boy for Channel 1 Releasing. He's currently under contract with Rascal Video which features him in No Cover, The Wrong Side of the Tracks, and Delinquents.



Their Seattle stop at Revival is just one of several stops they're making in a busy schedule of February appearances for Reynolds and Bradley. Bradley said on his official blog that he and Ethan "always have a good time when we do our appearances. That is very important to us. However, we do it with class and style. We know we are hired to do a job and we get'er'done."

He offered this on the blog last week:

This will probably make everybody throw up... but I just want to say that my boyfriend is so beautiful and amazing. I'm really lucky. Just thought I would share.

Who's gonna disagree with that, eh?

Bradley even gets his own entry in the user-generated encycolpedia, Wikipedia. He also has a typically slow-loading (and noisy) MySpace page, but no longer updates it.

Reynolds is founder and editor of the popular website Brat Boy School where he keeps track of models, porn stars, and other hawties.

Labels: eye candy, gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, shirtless hunk

You've just gotta love the way that t-shirt drapes on Mika's slender (and what some folks have called "chiseled") bod. And no, he's not standing next to a bear in the upper pic. That's a poorly doctored picture of him next to a fan, but not just any fan, it's uber-gossipist Perez Hilton. We figured Perez wouldn't mind the doctored photo.

In our prior posts, we failed to link to Mika's own MySpace page. (We're usually scared that those things will be unreadable globs of buggy picture viewers and other junk, but his is OK.)

Over in the UK, where's he's all that, the Guardian asks (but can't quite answer) why he's the only "camp" and/or "flambouyant" or "sexually ambiguous" or __ (fill in the blank with non-Isaiah adjectives) pop singer out there. (Is he really?)

And the Sun pressed him on the question that still pops up often in our search strings:

He refuses to say whether he is gay or straight, claiming his sexuality is of no consequence to his career.

He said: "I never talk about anything to do with my sexuality.

"I just don't think I need to. People ask me all the time. But I just don't see the point.

"In order to survive I've kind of shut up different parts of my life, and that's one of them, especially this early in my career."

Lifelong has some great pics by Matthew Browning up on their blog from this month's Superhero Gay Bingo event. The photog has a few more hotter pics on his interesting blog.

And congrats to Lifelong for recognizing what this whole blog thing is all about and for somehow managing to create something on MySpace that's actually readable even if it isn't very linkable. From the evidence of others on that service, it isn't easy to do that on MySpace.)

If you don't yet have tickets for upcoming bingo nights, you should act fast (or meet someone who does have the tickets). Both February's Pirate Gay Bingo and March's Groovy '70s Gay Bingo are now sold out and tickets are already half sold for April 14's Art Appreciation Gay Bingo. If you're still a Bingo Virgin, come see what everyone is talking about and get your tickets for the remainder of the 2007 season now!

Those Q-lens links under the Cruise box on our web site (which we copy to this post so that they'll also show up in the RSS feed) are our way of sharing some of our favorite links and blogs. The Gay news lens and the Gay Seattle lens both now feature news digests at the top. Even though the pages from that service are slow to load, once they do load, each of those (and the others) give you a quick way to keep up with 'mo stuff flowing through the 'net tubes.

The first Revival apparently worked out well at Element. It will return with more "dancing, queers, and $1 beers" on Feb. 4. Models Benjamin Bradley [sfw profile of his porn career] of Falcon and Ethan Reynolds, founder of Bratboy will be featured.

Labels: blog-on-blog, Gay events, gay party, link bites, Mika

Are you feeling the need for Revival during this uncommon winter deep freeze? Egan Orion of Overload Productions has teamed up with other local party promoters to revive your spirits this weekend with the first of what could become frequent Sunday parties.

The hunky Carlson Twins of A&F fame will be special guests and should lift your... umm -- spirits as Overload, Gemini Events, and JB Productions team up to present Revival, a major Sunday dance party at a new (to them) venue: Element at 332 Fifth Ave. N. across the street from EMP at Seattle Center [get directions].

Party from 6pm until midnight with a cover of only $5.

Element has two dance floors. DJ Brian Gorr says he'll be "spinning old circuit and of course other surprises as we once again celebrate Sunday nights in Seattle." DJ Violate will pump out the music for the second dance floor, spinning "top-40 mashups, old skool, and new skool."

Although Element imposes a fairly strict dress code for its usual crowd, Orion said that he trusts the queer crowd for Revival to dress right without any kind of formal code. "There's no dress code for the event besides what every other bar/club would expect," he told us.

Orion's Overload has produced parties at Sugar, Neumo's, Chapel (including Red Light on New Year's night), and other venues but he said he's looking forward to the new possibilities at Element.

"Element is the largest venue I've used as a venue for an Overload event," he said. For this one, he's working with JB Productions and Gemini Events. "Gemini has recently started doing events in Seattle. SweetSpot at Sugar was their first set of events, and Revival is their second venture," Orion explained.

You can look forward to more Sunday Revivals in the future, Orion said. "We intend to do Revival as a monthly party in time," he explained. "This first party is a proof of concept and a way to introduce people to the space. As we get into Spring, Revival will be held every month with all sorts of exciting special guests!"

Keep up with all Overload events and other interesting parties (including gay ski week at Whistler) by subsribing to Overload's new email list, A Queer Night Out. (Sign up for the list at the bottom of the page.)

Labels: gay bar, gay party, Gay Seattle, Seattle, shirtless hunk

We've noticed a few searches for it, so let us add this to the New Year's roundup: Girlz New Year's Eve sponsored by Gala Events 4 U will be held at the Aquarium. But it was sold out long ago. Pity. That's a great venue for a party. One of the early Bump parties was held there.

If you or a friend had the foresight to buy tickets early, you would be able to enjoy the colorful fishes along with dance music by DJ Wolfdyke, a appetizer and dessert buffet, party favors, and a complimentary champagne or cider toast at midnight. But if you didn't buy tickets, you have a few days to find someone at the Wildrose [see map] who did. Good luck.

And, yes, the Wildrose does promise a party on New Year's Eve with "DJ's, Dancing Girls, Champagne Toast, and More!"

Labels: Gay events, gay party, Gay Seattle, lesbian, New Year's party

Tickets are still available for the double-fun New Year's Party at Richard Hugo House sponsored by Seattle Black Pride.

Although any place that sells alcohol can become a party place on that evening, the big bashes at local bars will be at Sugar, The Cuff, R-Place, and a cruising off-site sponsored by Seattle Eagle. Chapel hosts its traditional after-hours produced by Sugar's OverLoad Productions.

Check our gay bars map for addresses, contact info, web sites, and directions.

Sugar: Bang! 10pm to 4am.
DJ: Brian Gorr
Cover: $10 advance; $15 at door.

Cuff: Black & Blue Bash 10pm till ??
DJ: Kimberly S.
Cover: $5 at door

R-Place: New Years Celebration
DJ: Rizz
Cover: None

Eagle: 2007 Countdown Cruise
DJ: Up Above and Hotplay
Tickets: $10 ($15 for two)

Chapel: Red Light 2:30am to 4am
DJ: Kyler and Bruno
Cover: $15 advance; $20 at door.

But, of course, just about every club in town features party favors, midnight toasts, and an extra-festive atmosphere on that major party night. A few more specials:

Purr offers a no-cover New Year's Party with a special menu, and three big screens to watch the festivities, including our own most phallic of fireworks displays as the Space Needle metaphorically cums and spurts at midnight.

Martin's Off Madison offers a quieter way to ring in the new year with a piano bar all night and post-party menu until dawn.

The uber-classic Double Header in Pioneer Square offers up an 'Eve night of dancing and drag performances featuring Sapphire Knight and Lady Chablis. Door prizes and raffles. It's a benefit for Dunshee House with a $15 cover.

Although Manray isn't doing anything especially remarkable for New Year's Eve, it could still be worth stopping in if you've ever spent an fun night or two there. This will probably be the last New Year's bash there. The bar and all of its neighbors in that block have to close by November, 2007 to make way for a massive condo project.

"We're not going to try and relocate this bar," Manray general manager David Briggs says bitterly. "If we do anything, it'll be to open another bar. You just can't take the spirit of a place and try to transplant it." Briggs, voicing the sentiments of many longtime residents, says he's "furious" about what developers are doing to Pike/Pine. "They're pushing out what has made this the neighborhood that it is."

The Elite at the other end of Broadway may also be marking its last New Year, according the this Slog rumor. Even if that slightly substantiated rumor proves untrue, it's a classic that's always worth a visit when you're in the mood.

Labels: gay party, Gay Seattle, New Year's party, Seattle

The guys from gaywhistler.com who did a remarkable job in only a month or so last year to save Whistler ski week have had a whole year to prepare for this year's event. And it shows in a busy and diverse week of events called WinterPride. It takes place Sunday through Sunday, February 4 to 11, 2007. All of this year's events, including the big dance parties are on the mountains.

Advance tickets are now on sale. A full seven-day pass costs $430 CAD (about $372 USD). A mid-week pass is $145 CAD ($125 USD). An extended weekend pass for Thursday through Sunday that includes the big mountain-top T-Dance is $295 ($255 USD). Those are advance prices that rise slightly Friday, Dec. 15. You can get tickets and arrange accommodations by calling 866-612-6150.

There's plenty of skiing, of course, including the GayWhistler Charity Ski Race on Wednesday, Feb. 7. But the schedule is also packed with activities that will keep even non-skiers engaged.

"Whether you're a novice at snow sports, an aspiring culinary artist, a wine enthusiast, a spa queen, a health and wellness fan, a medical practitioner, an academic scholar, a social butterfly, or just a plain John or Jane looking for a good time, we guarantee that there will be something for everyone to do during the week long WinterPRIDE festivities."

Labels: Gay, Gay events, gay party, ski week, whistler