Jimmy Flame and the Sexxy Boys
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One of the most fun local bands to see live in Seattle, Jimmy Flame and the Sexxy Boys, is playing tonight at King Cobra with Blackie, a Blondie cover band which includes members of Hells Bells. It promises to be a good time for all as long as no one attending is prissy.
Portland Zoobomb
Last weekend I went to Portland for Zoobomb Minibike Winter V. It was awesome. It was crazy. And best of all, it didn't rain. Zoobomb is a bicycle club in Portland in which members and friends dress in costumes and ride minibikes (child size bikes) down the hill towards the Portland Zoo every Sunday. Once a year for the past 5 years, they have hosted the Zoobomb Minibike Winter Olympics, with events such as Ben Hurt Chariot Wars, minibike limbo, live music, bicycle dance troupe performances, and general silliness and fun.
The bicycle festivities took place Thursday - Monday. I arrived in Portland late Saturday morning just in time to grab some food at the potluck brunch. I was really impressed with the hospitality and friendliness of the local bicycle folks I met at the Zoobomb event in Portland. They all are open and enthusiastic to invite other bicycle enthusiasts to join them for their fun bicycle activities. Many bicycle clubs have strict rules about becoming a member, but the Zoobombers seem to hold the attitude that all who love bikes are welcome, and that's an attitude I like.
After brunch, we all rode to the first event of the day: The Ben Hurt Chariot Wars. In order to compete in the chariot race, competitors needed a bike with a trailer and two people: one to ride a bike and one to stand or sit in the chariot being pulled by the bike rider. All chariots were custom made beautiful monstrosities designed in the vein of the mutant bike culture.
The race had rules, but it turned into ridiculous mayhem to the point where I was not really sure what was happening:
The winners were the last team standing.
This guy did not win, although he had spirit trying to ride on a tire that could no longer technically be called a tire:
After the Chariot Wars, I needed a break and took off and got some dinner. I met up with the festivities again that evening at a warehouse space. The weekend Zoobomb events took place at different locations all over Portland, and event maps were distributed which displayed the best bicycle routes to each location. The evening's entertainment including music, dancing, a fashion show, live music, and a performance by the Canadian bicycle dance troupe the B:C:Clettes.
The next day I showed up at Sunday's first event location by the river downtown ready to watch some bicycle limbo and a performance by the Portland bicycle dance troupe The Sprokettes. Things didn't get started until later in the afternoon and I had to head back to Seattle, so I begrudgingly headed home just as the blindfolded minibike race was about to begin.
Last weekend was the first time I have bicycled around Portland, and that town truly lives up to its reputation as being one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the nation. The Minibike Winter Olympics are over for this year, but if you are interested in going on the zoobomb, they do it every Sunday evening. You can check the zoobomb website for details.
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A Veritable Fun Event On Valentine's Day
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I'm not big on Valentine's Day shenanigans. I feel like it's a holiday designed to make people miserable. If you don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend, then you feel like a loser. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, then you feel like the pressure is on to prove your love. Either way, ugh.That's why I'm so excited The Stranger's Valentine's Day Bash is happening again this year at Neumo's. I went last year and it was the 10 year anniversary of the event and they SAID it was going to be the last year last year. But, no! It's happening again this year.
At the Bash, you have the opportunity to bring a memento from a failed relationship, give a little background on the shortcomings of said relationship on a stage in front of a venue packed full of strangers and possibly people you know (IE. coworkers), and then allow Dan Savage to destroy your memento in any number of creative ways. Last year, I brought a dozen dried roses and Dan Savage dipped them in liquid nitrogen and smashed them to bits. I gotta say, it was my best Valentine's Day ever.
My advice if you go is bring a keepsake and sign-up to have Dan Savage destroy it. Seriously, once you get there, you will want to be a part of the fun, despite the certainty of embarrassment. There is something special, something cathartic about having the famed sex columnist smash/set on fire/tar and feather a relic some jerk left in your possession after he/she broke your heart.
Make sure you get there early and sign-up on the list right away, otherwise you could spend all night holding that teddy bear/sweater/poem/engagement ring waiting for it to finally be destroyed.
Date: February 14, 2008
Time: 8pm
Location: Neumo's (map)
Price: Free (who can put a price on
Democratic Caucus
Everybody's talking about caucus. Gotta do it, gotta go. It's tomorrow. Make your vote count, make your voice heard in this election and caucus, baby, caucus.
Seattle Metroblogging has a great Q&A on how to caucus tomorrow. Also, The Stranger explains how and why we need to caucus.
You can find out where you are supposed to go for your caucus on the King County Democrats website. You can also check out the Washington State Democratic Chairs Organization website to find out what your voting precinct is and find out where to go tomorrow. You'll need to be at your neighborhood caucus before or right on time at 1pm... tardiness is no good.
Seattle Metroblogging has a great Q&A on how to caucus tomorrow. Also, The Stranger explains how and why we need to caucus.
You can find out where you are supposed to go for your caucus on the King County Democrats website. You can also check out the Washington State Democratic Chairs Organization website to find out what your voting precinct is and find out where to go tomorrow. You'll need to be at your neighborhood caucus before or right on time at 1pm... tardiness is no good.
Seattle Burlesque Classes
I recently received a couple of comments on an older post, Burlesque Class, so I am bringing up this topic again.
If you are toying around with the idea of getting into the Seattle burlesque scene, a good way to meet people in the burlesque community and get your start as a performer is by taking a burlesque class. If you're not interested in becoming a burlesque performer, you can simply take a class for fun and add a little spice to your life. Everybody will take away something from a burlesque class, whether it's finally feeling comfortable in your own skin, or learning how to do pin-up pretty hair and make-up.
I have mentioned Miss Indigo Blue's School of Burlesque in a recent post, I know people who have taken the class and have loved it, so there is one option for you.
It was recently brought to my attention that there is another school of burlesque in Seattle, Old School Pin-Ups Presents: Trixie Lane's Kindergarten of Burlesque. This is a 5 week course where Trixie Lane, a long time professional burlesque performer and entertainer, coaches students how to create an audience ready performance including hair, costuming, make-up, stage presence and all of that fun stuff, but also how to promote yourself as a performer. Trixie only allows 6 students to enroll at a time so she can give each student the attention they need. Here is the part that really excites me: they do professional pin-up photography! That is SO cool! A pin-up photograph of yourself could be a very romantic Valentine's Day gift. You can view samples of some of the pin-ups, and, wow, those are some great pictures.
If you want to get a glimpse of the result of Trixie Lane's Kindergarten of Burlesque, you can check out the next class recital on February 20 at the Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater at 7pm, tickets $10. Trixie informed me that she generally starts a new class every 2 months and the next will be sometime around the 24th of March. If you are interested in finding out more information, you can contact Trixie Lane.
