A tale of two bars: Sacramento, California + Black and Tan

I'm b-a-a-ack!

So after hopping around on Austin Is Burning, Austin Style Watch, The Famousish, and Party Ends just now, it appears to mine eyes that ATX party-makers were out in full force this weekend. That's awesome everyone. This gal took the party to the west coast however, and while she was there, conducted some investigative nightlife journalism.

Guys, when you look around at your friends, do you ever take note of a few acute commonalities? Love of sushi, horror films, indie music, whatever? Well for me it's dancing. I am very lucky that almost all of my close pals LOVE to shake it, which is good because if they did not I would be a constant source of embarrassment.

So on Saturday night, our crew raided two very different spots in Midtown Sac (a neighborhood of quaint, Victorian homes mixed with little cafes, gay bars, and a smattering of coffee shops):

1. Blue Cue, an upstairs bar / dance club situation,
2. The significantly divier, DELIGHTFUL, Pine Cove.


If I had to pick an Austin doppelganger for Blue Cue, it'd probably be something like Vicci, minus the self-aware ironic cheesiness (of Vicci, that is). Blue Cue is technically a billiards bar, but guys, it's like the fanciest billiards bar I've ever seen. The bartenders are well-coiffed, the bar backlit, and people there dressed to the freaking NINES. Very "young professionals" pedigree, you know what I mean? I wore my flats for the evening, and seriously, I think I came up to all the girls' boobs. Total strangers would pat my head while dancing (when they weren't being socked by my flailing arms, that is) because I was so wee!

But anyway, you know what's fun about that kind of place? The playlist. You say "Britney?" They've got your Britney. They've also got your Kanye, your Madonna, your fill-in-the-blank ear candy delights, and it's all good. And by "good" I mean infinitely danceable, so kindly check your hipster at the door and brace yourself for some "Womanizer" (which you secretly know you love!! At least I do! "Boy don't try to front ah-ah/Know just-just what you you are" - oh God I can't resist!)

Pause - speaking of danceable - pardon the tangent here, but OMG I am obsessed with this new person I discovered!!! Neiliyo, who's an Austin dude. He'll be playing next month at The Mohawk at Team Fabrication 6, a fashion/music/awards show dreamed up by crazy talented designer pair Jenifer Rea and Erin Mikulenka. Many many thanks to Party Ends for the reference.

ANYWAY, after our fill of Red Bull/vodka's and Britney, we stumbled over to the Pine Cove...


Pine Cove basically = Hole in the Wall + karaoke, and anyone who knows me knows that karaoke exerts this undeniable, siren-like force over me. (This is true even though I do not have a good voice, at all.) But anyway, with cheaper drinks and a zillion people all sloshing around this teensy, dimly lit, Cheers-for-twenty-somethings establishment, Pine Cove turned out to be the ideal venue to regale people with....more Britney!! (We had practiced at Blue Cue, you see).

Now, blog readers, I ask you: Is there really anything more valuable in this world than good friends? The kind that will rush the stage like you're Queen Madge herself? My friends Claire, Anna and I shut down Pine Cove with an off-key (but sassy!) rendition of "Toxic" which in fact garnered some drunken applause, mostly by our friends/"backup dancers." All in all, this was the type of down-to-earth, messily supportive crowd that I think Austin would clutch to its collective chest and embrace as our own. I cannot recommend Pine Cove enough if you're out west yourselves, Austinites.

Finally, to cap off this Monday....by violently switching subjects!

Here in the 9-to-5 world, it's tough to find weekday dancing/music appreciation partners, non? (And truth be told I probably not should be staying out past 11 myself, but there is so much awesome stuff right now!). So, tell me: do any of you head to Black and Tan on Tuesday regularly to see this fine individual?

On that note, lovely Richard Gear is out of town in NYC this week, while Bird Peterson and GoGo Garcia take over his regular Tuesday night gig:


There was also talk of Markus (with a K) joining the fun tomorrow night, too...maybe a surprise visit?