Forget being red hot: This Saturday is your chance to look white hot!
Saturday, June 25 is the 5th Annual White Party presented by Elevate Lifestyle, Kiss 95.1 and Charlotte Seen. Everyone will be there dressed to impress in their all white outfits.
Models will be hitting the runway during the party to show off the hottest summer styles of Banana Republic, Bevello, Miles Interior, Paul Mitchell The School and ICE Model Talent Management.
Various DJs and live performances are lined up for the night. If you listen to 95.1, then you know to expect a mind-blowing set.
Fine cuisine and delicious cocktails will be available to keep you in the party mode. If you want to feel like a true celeb and you're with a group of six to eight friends— ask about the day beds and cabana packages including extra benefits and a front view of the fashion show!
The White Party is from 6 p.m.-11 p.m. but what awesome party ends there? The after-party is at one of the most popular upscale clubs in Charlotte, Butter. It's an after-party you definitely won't want to miss out on, especially when you're already dressed in your best outfit.
The 5th Annual White Party will be at the NC Music Factory, Fountain Plaza. General admission is only $10 and if you're feeling a little more frisky, VIP tickets are $25. To find out more information about tickets, day beds and cabana packages go to www.charlotteseen.com.
A white picket fence in need of a paint job runs a ragged border along a lawn populated by 20-somethings clutching cans of cheap beer. Female-fronted punk comes screaming out of the basement’s large, propped doors. This is Sewercide Mansion.
The Queen City house show venue (329 Woodvale Place) has only been in existence for about six months but is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best underground spots to see both live and touring bands.
When I arrived for the latest of these shows, I was met by my friend Sydney Nieboer, who admonished me for once again missing her set – so far they have been primarily an opening act and I am late for everything. Nieboer fronts the local band Syd and The Lipshits and started Sewercide with Elijah von Cramon when they were both living at the house. Von Cramon, who fronts another local punk band, Paint Fumes, still lives at Sewercide and handles all the booking.
In addition to Syd and The Lipshits, this night’s bill included two Canadian bands, White Lung and Nü Sensae, and was rounded out by Charlotte’s own Brain F ? (pronounced Brain Flannel).
In addition to maintaining my reputation for being a flake by missing Syd and The Lipshits, I had also missed Nü Sensae, whose set had people talking. The two member band had apparently put on quite the show.
Luckily, I go to Sewercide as much for the people as the music. Forget people-watching, Sewercide is where you go to meet people. Not every show is a punk show, but they all have that same community vibe where most people would rather come up and introduce themselves than critique you from afar.
Friday, June 17
• Fashion Democracy "Fashionistas Rule" Model Competition at CenterStage@NoDa
• 3rd annual Ghetto Fortress Toga Party at The Milestone
• SocialFlockers Retro 80s party at The Breakfast Club
• Girls Gone Wild at Bar Charlotte
• Too Short live in concert at 5th Element
Saturday, June 18
• Summer DJ Fest at the Epicentre
• Summer Sessions presents Rick Nielsen of Corduroy Mavericks at Dharma Lounge
• Petra's Got Talent - Semifinals - part 1
• Sol Addiction at Bask, featuring DJ DR
• The after party for Suite's 3-year anniversary celebration, with DJ Enferno
• Bad Ass Beer Bash at Kennedy's
Generally speaking, when people go to the club, they usually arrive anywhere from 11 p.m. to midnight. No one wants to be the first people up in a spot, right? We want to walk through the doors and instantly be blasted with the energy of loud music and groups of good-looking people drinking, laughing and busting moves on the dance floor.
But arriving fashionably late last night to RE:Public for Pop Life, hosted by Big Boi, was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. When I left at 12:30 a.m., the club was packed. It was so thick, it was like walking through a department store's fragrance section, as you were so close to people you could get a whiff of their perfume or cologne.
When I saw the number of people outside waiting to get in, the relief I felt from having arrived at 8:30 p.m. (for the RSVP-only segment of the night) distracted me (momentarily) from my aching feet. Thankfully, it'd stopped raining. The line to get in stretched from RE:Public's door, which is about at the halfway point on the block of College Street, all the way down to the corner of 7th Street. I avoided eye contact as best as I could with folks decked out for a night of flirting and fun, only to be kept standing outside.
Note to self: Whenever The Sol Kitchen hosts a free event, to be attended by a well-known celebrity, all the finer points of club etiquette involving arrival time go out the window. You should always try to get there as early as possible.
Last night's party gave people the opportunity to taste the new Crown Royal Black, of which Big Boi has designed a limited edition bag for. Of the four cocktails offered, my favorite was the Durty Royal (Crown Royal Black, Raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice.) After a couple of these (and on an empty stomach, mind you), I didn't notice the step down as I was walking from the upper level bar toward the tequila bar. Shout out to the dude who was standing nearby, whose shoulder I grabbed to keep from falling. (They really ought to put some kind of lighting or something there.)
The drink on the menu that seemed only like a recipe for a gastric disaster was the Jump Off, which consisted of Crown Royal Black, Smirnoff Vodka, Tanqueray Gin, Myers Platinum Rum, and splashes of some mixers. The men seemed to enjoy it though.
DJ Bro-Rabb was handling the music in the main room. The tunes were on point, as the dance floor was filled with movement by 10:30 p.m., at the latest. He's obviously a fan of Biggie, and I'm OK with that. But on more than one occasion, he hollered out, "Where my 25 and up at?" Seeing as I spotted more than one gentleman sporting pointed dress shoes and kangols, I think I can safely say very few people weren't 25 and up.
Considering the number of people who came out last night — on a Wednesday night, mind you — Pop Life has definitely taken it to another level for partying. When you're walking around the next day, feet hurt from heels and legs sore from dancing, you know it was a good night.
But I never did see Big Boi. His van outside, yes. Him? Not so much. But that's just a testament to how many people showed up. He was probably swallowed in the crowd.
And on a side note: I salute Librettos in the EpiCentre, for filling my tummy with pizza so I could make it to work today (relatively) on time.
Who said there can only be one DJ at a party— not the EpiCentre!
Here to dominate Charlotte is eight of the most popular DJs. This Saturday June 18, dbraun Promotions is throwing the Inaugural Summer DJ Fest at the EpiCentre.
Four world-wide known turntable geniuses will come together for a huge mind-blowing string of performances: the trendy west coast sounds of DJ RJ Spinher; the fast mixes of DJ Enferno; as it says in the press release, "three-time winner of the Clubworld Best VJ Award, DJ Roonie G"; and high-profile party spinner, DJ Mateo.
The DJ Fest will be made up of a main set where all DJs will perform, including a soundtrack by local popular DJs including DJ RWonz, DJ Dirty, DJ RED, and DJ Rowshay. After the concert, the party continues at all the hot spot clubs in the EpiCentre where each international DJ will have their own individual party set.
DJ RJ Spinher will move to Kazba, DJ Enferno is spinning at Suite's Third Anniversary Party, DJ Roonie G is performing at Whiskey River and DJ Mateo will bring it down at Mez.
The main performance will be from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at PavilionAtEpiCentre.com and EpiCentreNC.com or at each party location. Tickets include admission to the Pavilion rooftop performance as well as the four club parties.
With the warmer months fully upon us, outdoor drinking is in full swing across the city. Porches, patios and backyards are once again key in late night and weekend revelry. But now there’s another option, as not one but two beer gardens have opened in Charlotte this spring.
I stopped by both one night to see what they had to offer and how they compared to one another.
The first stop was The Biergarten at Pavilion at EpiCentre. The Biergarten is most notable for its rooftop location, offering a decent view of the city. The bar itself is situated in the center of the patio and is closed off by large glass partitions that open up like garage doors, offering the traditional open air beer garden experience.
Those patrons who don’t wish to belly up to the bar can enjoy a game of ping-pong or cornhole, or have a seat at one of the many picnic tables – another beer garden staple. A large tent offers protection from the elements for nights when the weather decides not to cooperate.
The Biergarten is also the new home for Alive After Five, so there’s also an impressive stage set up on the patio to house the bands and performers for that weekly Uptown after-work event.
Unfortunately, the beer selection leaves something to be desired. It’s almost as if they thought of everything you need to make a good beer garden except the most crucial ingredient: lots of good beer. Instead you get about a half dozen imports and a half dozen domestics on tap, none of which are particularly difficult to find at your average bar or club.
The overall atmosphere makes The Biergarten worth checking out, though, and it’s a nice change of pace from the average EpiCentre spot. But hard-core beer lovers may want to look elsewhere.
One place they may want to look is at VBGB, the other newly opened beer garden at the NC Music Factory. They offer a much wider variety, with dozens of craft beers, each poured into a mug, stein or glass appropriate to the beverage and set down before you on a frost rail to keep it cold.
The shots were less impressive. They were a bit on the small side and seemed haphazardly made. Bar food is also available, although the kitchen was closed by the time I got there.
While VBGB got the beer part down, the garden part seemed to be missing. They have a large patio, but it’s sectioned off from the inside, which looks like a standard bar. They do have large metal sliding doors but they were kept closed, unlike at The Biergarten.
The patio features picnic tables, cornhole and a projector utilizing the side of the building as its screen. What will surely catch your eye first, however, is the famous JFG Coffee sign, which now sits proudly atop the VBGB roof. It’s a bit strange to see a coffee sign on a beer garden’s roof, but it does offer this new establishment a tie into a piece of Charlotte history. It also makes VBGB hard to miss.
While neither The Biergarten nor VBGB is doing everything right, they are both just starting out and there’s still a chance for them to work the kinks out.
If nothing else, they have provided a couple of new options for the beer-loving Charlottean to indulge their taste buds in the open air. Perhaps as time goes by, they will push one another to greater heights.
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, June 14, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Watch party for the premiere of Hawthorne at Loft 1523
• Comedian Johnny Millwater at The Lake Norman Comedy Zone
• Open Decks at Halo (featuring EDM DJs)
• Butter College Tuesdays
• Trivia at Flying Saucer
Get together your cutest outfit ... I mean outfits. This week, starting Wednesday, June 15, there will be a whole list of appearances you won't want to miss.
Suite is celebrating its third anniversary by throwing a series of special events all week long, starting June 15 through June 18.
Wednesday: There will be a wild friend for the guys and a nice piece of eye-candy for the ladies. Robb from VH1's hit show Saddle Ranch will be here to kick off the celebratory weekend with his famous partying skills he's shown on TV.
Thursday: Continuing the anniversary fun is the New Boyz. Everybody better be ready to bring back the hit "You're A Jerk" and kick your feet around on the dance floor.
Friday: DJ Five will be here spinning all night long. His music is perfect for keeping you on your toes as he unexpectedly mixes old school to new school songs that we love.
Saturday: Bringing the weekend to an end is the DJ with what seems like never ending beats, DJ Enferno. As Madonna's touring DJ, he definitely knows how to break beats.
For information, call 704-971-7878.
Half of the hip-hop duo Outkast will be in town this week to hang out with you, continuing The Sol Kitchen's celebration of Black Music Month — if you RSVP in time, that is.
The members of Pi Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity bring you Big Boi to Pop Life this Wednesday, June 15, at RE:Public for a private Crown Royal VIP event. He's taken his lyrical creativity to a more tangible sphere and has designed a limited edition bag for the Crown Royal Black. From 8 p.m.-10 p.m., kick with him and other tastemakers with cocktails, food and music. Confirmed RSVP is required to get into this event. (Visit http://crownroyalvip.com for more info.)
After 10 p.m. is the after party, which is open to everyone.
Friday, June 10
• Rhythm *30 Rock Edition* at Loft 1523: A night dedicated to all of the hottest "line dances" around
• CrownTown Showdown Showcase *Free Music Night* at Neighborhood Theatre
• Mindelixir Presents: Bass Church 13 at The Fillmore
• Ol' Skool Hip-Hop Night at The Chop Shop
• Jacinda's Gemini Experience at RE:Public
• Dirty Mega CLT party at Dharma Lounge
• DJ Complete & DJ A-Minor Present "Disco! Disco! Vol.1" CD Release Party at Kazba
Saturday, June 11
• JetSet III "The Day Party" Part 2 with DJ Shaun Nyce at Doma Lounge/Rooftop Garden (the smaller side of Phoenix)
• Grand opening party of Krazy Fish, featuring Jay Garrigan, Queen City Dub and Lost Soul Traveling Show!, DJs That Guy Smitty, DJ Anonymous Jones and Lilith Deville
• Global Electro-House Sessions at South End Field House
• Brazilian Party at On The Roxx presented by Megarumba Entertainment
• Big Mammas House of Burlesque at Visulite Theatre
• Fight Lab MMA Cage Fights at the EpiCentre
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