Blogs

Fibber Magee's on Friday, August 22nd

By Lilia Menconi

These ladies are wild. Just like our slideshow.

It’s not often we haul our cookies out to the East Valley for some cocktails. But being that Fibber Magee’s has established itself as a staple of the area’s nightlife, we just had to hit it up. On Friday, August 22, we were pleasantly surprised. One might think the place would be teeming with douche-y dudes and “Hanes Her Way”-type ladies, but we actually spied some pretty decent babes and saw a thong line or two. Sexy.

The night was like any other pub night — lots of booze, lots of conversation — and then, of course, the crowd rocked an inevitable group sing-along to the cover band. Couldn’t really ask for much more out of a Friday night.

Fibber Magees Irish Restaurant and Pub, 1989 W. Elliot Rd. #19 in Chandler, 480-722-9434, www.fibbermageespub.com

By Lilia Menconi

Check our slideshow for more of this nonsense.

We’re not going to make any tired observations about how Mondays suck big-time. Okay, maybe we’ll point out just one: It’s the toughest day of the week but, somehow, it’s the least socially acceptable evening to go out and drink the frustration away. Now, that’s just bullshit.

If you’re in the market for a crowd that won’t judge you for your unhealthy coping skills, head to Bikini Lounge for Bikini Mondays. With killer spins by DJ Borisimo and spunky hipster drunkards, it’s the perfect night to start your week off right. On August 11, we did just that, and we had a ball swilling our sorrows away with other folks looking to forget which day it was until later, when we drunkenly set our alarm for Tuesday morning.

Bikini Lounge, 1502 Grand Ave in Phoenix, 602-252-0472.

By Lilia Menconi

She's really excited for the slideshow.

So it seems, whenever offered the choice between butt rock and punk rock, we always pick punk. Because after last week, we were still in the mood to hang with the heavily tattooed and metal-studded crowd. So we decided to check out the Agent Orange show at J-Heads on Saturday, August 9.

Agent Orange ripped it up as the packed club hemorrhaged folks out into the parking lot. People got nuts, the air got heavy, and then dudes started getting partially naked. There were topless men galore, trying to be as comfortable as possible as the bar slowly transformed into a sweltering sauna. That’s commitment. And it’s totally punk rock.

J-Heads, 5110 E Mcdowell Rd in Phoenix, 602-225-0307, www.myspace.com/jheadsbar.

By Lilia Menconi

Mmmm. Boobies. Now check the slideshow.

If you happened to be a ’90s rocker (pick your flavor — butt or punk) in Phoenix, you surely caught a Plinko or Pelvic Meatloaf show as you made your rounds among the Nile, Party Gardens, and the Mason Jar. The nostalgia hit us hard when we heard of a reunion show at Joe’s Grotto. And then it hit us even harder when we make the trek up to 32nd street and Thunderbird. But, unlike in the ’90s, we took the 51 all the way and didn’t hit the ’hood for a drug deal.

On Saturday, August 2, we felt right at home with the slightly mature crowd catching the show at Joe’s Grotto. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised that we weren’t the only ones looking to relive our glory days. Many familiar faces were spotted, only this time, we were all rockin’ some sweet crow’s feet and sexy, round bellies. Ah, well, at least we still know how to party.

Joe's Grotto, 13825 N. 32nd St., 602-992-1007, www.joesgrotto.com.

By Lilia Menconi

The power of their attractiveness makes you want to check the slideshow.

Tempe just got a lot bigger . . . if you happen to be in the bar scene, that is. Since we can remember, a night out in Tempe meant Mill Avenue or Casey Moore’s or — well, Casey Moore’s. But with Tempe Marketplace up and running, we’re discovering a whole new source for our weekly socializing requirements. On Thursday, July 17, we hit D’Arcy McGee’s to find some similar souls looking to start the weekend early. The low-key Irish Pub had a healthy crowd of 20-somethings, for a Thursday night. Many were chowing down on bar food and killing time until they could hit the movie theater for the The Dark Knight premiere. Movie dweebs aside, D’Arcy’s fit the bill for a night of friendly chats and some fine drinking.

D'Arcy McGee's, Tempe Marketplace, 2000 E Rio Salado Parkway (Located next to Harkins Theatre), 480-557-9087

By Lilia Menconi

For more sweaty goodness, check the slideshow.

Since Glam closed, we've been on a mission. We've got to find another place where people are sporting everything from jeans and Converse to designer dresses to wrestling masks. We dig dancing amid total chaos — it's the only way we can really get down. So when we were promised a club night with music, dancing, booze and a guy in a chicken suit, we were there — oh, my God, we were so there. And that's how the folks behind Party Foul got us to check out their new night at Homme Lounge on Friday, July 11. Turns out we weren't alone. There were plenty of folks blowing off steam from the work week and hitting the dance floor. Alas, the guy in the chicken suit bailed (lame), but we still managed without him and had a stellar time.

Party Foul at Homme Lounge, 138 W. Camelback Road in Phoenix, 602-234-3023, http://www.myspace.com/partyfoulaz.

Perfect Timing Entertainment's Grid City on Thursday, July 3rd.

By: Lilia Menconi

It gets weirder. Check the slideshow for more.

It’s really not that unusual for us to end up in some strange house downtown. Typically, we’re one of the stragglers at the alluring yet oft-disappointing after-party — scrounging for any drop of alcohol to ease the anxiety as we watch the sun come up. Still, we believe that bedrooms and backyards make for some of the best mischief, so when we snagged a flier for Grid City — a dance party taking place on Thursday, July 3, in a house off of Seventh Street and Pierce — we figured we’d feel right at home. Or right at someone else’s home.

Everyone had Friday off, so the kids turned up in droves. Drunkards were dancing in the living room and hanging on the back patio, completely guilt-free about their weeknight partying. The shindig was put on by Perfect Timing Entertainment, and as we would rank this event as “relatively glorious,” we’ll gladly hit another one of their parties.

Perfect Timing Entertainment, 617 North 7th Street Suite C, 623-206-5097, perfecttimingentertainment.net.

Glam on Friday, June 27th and Saturday, June 28th.

By: Lilia Menconi

We may not have Glam anymore but we've got a butt-load of photos in the slideshow.

Oh, God, it can’t be true. Glam closing? Really? Nnnnnooooo!!!!!

It’s no secret that Glam has been our hands-down favorite club for the past couple of years. We’ve drunkenly slipped and eaten shit on the Saturday Night Fever dance floor, we’ve shamelessly made out with cute boys in the corners, and pathetically cried in the stinky bathroom. It’s just about everything we’d ever hoped for in our nightlife.

So when we learned that Glam was shutting down forever, we mainlined as much of that place as our livers could handle and hit it up for both Faux Show Friday on June 27 and Word Up Saturday on June 28. Both nights gave us some glorious final hours of sweaty chaos. On Friday, the dance floor cracked and broke. On Saturday, a trashcan came tumbling down and spilled all its disgusting garbage juice. But no one cared. We just danced around the hole in the floor and got our feet wet in the puddle of watered down backwash. True to form, right until the end.

Glam, we’ll miss you.

www.myspace.com/glamaz

By Lilia Menconi

As we approached our 80th Club Candids, we were beginning to think this town was totally tapped out. These past weeks, we’ve had to be a bit bolder with our choices and run the risk of heading into clubs that felt more like superficial war zones than a sea of exciting prospects. But this weekend, the gamble paid off when we found a spot that is totally our style.

Okay, so he's not a hot chick. Just look at the slideshow anyway.

The British Open Pub is tucked into the same plaza as Papago Brewery (another fave). Inconspicuous and tiny, it was no surprise that we’d discovered a relaxed crowd inside. The place was clean, with comfy booths, a hardwood bar, and a lovely little corner with a few arcade games and darts. Patrons were happily munching on some tasty-looking pub food and enjoying conversation that was actually audible. (Not to mention, there were some pretty fine babes behind the bar.) It’s moments like these that make this club-hopping gig worth it.

The British Open English Pub in Scottsdale, 1334 N Scottsdale Rd, 480-941-4915 www.thebritishopenpub.com.

By Lilia Menconi
It’s so nice when this job allows us to take a break from booze every once in a while — which is exactly what we did when we stopped by Red Hot Robot’s One Year Anniversary Party on Saturday, June 7.

For more of this, check the slideshow.

The place is located in what is probably one of the coolest nooks in town (right next door to Stinkweeds on Camelback), and we were thrilled that this toy gallery was super-crowded with a crapload of supporters. And with more than 14 artists participating, we feel Red Hot Robot dubbing itself as a “cultureshop” is appropriate. Oh, and they did have beer for those who can handle a drink at 7 p.m. Since that’s not how we hang, we stayed sober and enjoyed the art.

Red Hot Robot Toy Gallery and Cultureshop, 14 W Camelback Rd in Phoenix, (602) 264-8560 www.redhotrobot.net

By Lilia Menconi

Once again, we decided to check out Tempe Marketplace to assess some club worthiness. As soon as we walked up the stairs toward Cadillac Ranch, three drunk dudes ogled and slobbered all over us — we took it as a good sign and headed in for 944 Magazine’s Sessions show on Thursday, May 29.

For more boobies, er, photos, check out the slideshow.

With local indie bands Colorstore and Alcoholiday playing, there was an interesting mix of beer-guzzling bros (typical to this party region) and scrummy hipsters. The crowd filtered in and before we knew it, the place was a full-on sausage fest. What was the draw? Probably a combo of the bar’s super-boobied waitresses and its mechanical bull. Brilliant.

The Cadillac Ranch in Tempe Marketplace, 2000 East Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 2105, 480-894-1111, www.cadillacranchtempe.com

By Lilia Menconi

We remember skipping into The Lost Leaf on a First Friday in spring 2007, only to stumble out a few hours later, pick up our friend off their front lawn, and weave our way home. Can’t say it was the last time that happened, and it’s hard to believe that was just a year ago. With such nostalgic memories, we weren’t going to miss The Lost Leaf’s one-year anniversary for the world. Turns out, we weren’t alone. On Sunday, May 25, the place was overflowing with neighborhood folks. In fact, it was so crowded that we were drinking wine all night with elbows tucked in to minimize personal space. But having to resort to Tyrannosaurus rex arms was a small sacrifice. We mingled and mixed as a lineup of 12 local music acts rocked out for 15 minutes at a time. Thankfully, by night’s end, we didn’t end up sprawled on the lawn. This time, it was the sidewalk.

For more fuckery, view the slideshow.

The Lost Leaf
914 North 5th St., 602-258-0014, www.thelostleaf.org

1700 Curry on Saturday, May 17th

By Lilia Menconi

Yep, there was some hot tail. For more, check the slide show

We love music. We love art. And, by God, we love booze. So when we heard about Convergent at 1700 Curry, we felt it was our duty to head over with our camera and catch folks with similar interests.

1700 Curry is a storage facility with a facelift. The owner invited graffiti artists to deck out the unit doors with intricate murals and the night culminated with a live show by Runaway Diamonds. Not to mention, beer was aplenty, the portable bathrooms didn’t stink, and there was (Christ have mercy) a burrito stand. Of course, being that we prefer a vampire’s lifestyle, we didn’t get there until about 9 p.m. But the event started at 3 p.m., and judging by the extreme state of sloppiness we witnessed from some of the beer-guzzling crowd, the fun kicked off early. For once, we were the most sober of the bunch. And we didn’t mind one bit. Drunk people love having their photo taken.

www.myspace.com/1700curry.

By Lilia Menconi

Lush Handmade Cosmetics Store on Saturday, May 10.

Get your fill of more perfection and click through our Lush slideshow.

Pulling off the nightlife is some tricky business. Even though you repeatedly hinder cell regeneration with booze and nicotine, you must remain eff-able. That means feigning youth, faking health, and masking bar odors. Without such strategies, it’s a fast road to the land of being a scary, washed-up clubber. You’ve seen her — the wretched, sloppy drunk lady at the end of the bar. She rudely reminds partygoers of their own mortality and spoils all the fun.

Motivated by such fears, we felt it was high time for us to buy some products to help hide our hedonistic ways. So we dared to emerge during the daytime for Lush’s Rave Party on Saturday, May 10. The shindig for the Scottsdale cosmetics store wasn’t the party we’re typically used to, but it smelled damn good, and there were some pretty wicked glow-stick bracelets. We loaded up on soaps and scents and then headed home for a disco nap.

Lush Handmade Cosmetics at Scottsdale Fashion Square, 7014 E. Camelback Rd., 480-946-5874, usa.lush.com

By Lilia Menconi

San Felipe's Cantina on Sunday, May 4

Wipe off your drool and click through our San Felipe's Cantina slideshow.

Whatever your opinion on immigration laws, there’s one Mexican import that all Zonies seem to agree on. OK, two: burritos, and the cerveza- and margarita-filled extravaganza that is Cinco de Mayo. We’ll gladly join any celebration that calls for heavy drinking. Since we were so pumped, we got a good head start at the “Cinco de Drinko” party on Sunday, May 4, at San Felipe’s Cantina. It was the first night of the two-day shindig, and the place sported a healthy crowd munching on nachos and watching live bands. The vibe was pretty relaxed because we’re betting most folks had to work the next day. Sure enough for us, Monday morning was brutal. But it was nothing a shot of tequila couldn’t fix.

San Felipe's Cantina at Tempe Market Place, 2000 E. Rio Salado Pkwy, 480-736-8226, www.sanfelipescantina.com