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all photos Sexy Fitsum

Rewind to Tuesday, May 12 Why wasn’t I going out more on school nights? With all the options available on any given night of the week, to be honest, just trying to choose wears me out. Normally, the idea of rejecting every pre-bedtime comfort a man could ask for and rolling all the way out to Columbia Heights would go as quickly as it came, but somehow, tonight the wild hair that lobbied me and I are at The Wonderland Ballroom at Corey A-something’s C U Next Tuesday party that Gavin Holland had recently taken off hiatus. Funny, because I can’t even remember the last time I was here. It’s packed as usual with sweaty dancers, clique clumps and half-moored human beer tankers. I’d just missed Jackie O and Gavin was finished filling time before guest headliner Jess Jubilee got things steppin steppin, perfectly in sync with the house as each person wobbled past their tipping points and the air reddened and blurred. All that shouting, etc. Why is that chick hiding under the bar behind her bf’s legs? Jess Jubilee. Incredible.

I got to work at 10AM the next day. I always get to work at 10AM, except that morning I rolled thusly, and that cain’t be right.

» More from C.U.N.T. on Tuesday, May 12

Was back for more on the following Tuesday. This time, Gavin texted something to me about how awesome tonight was going to be and something-something Decibelle, photos, posting stuff online, great opportunity. “Sure”. Why not. On arrival tho, it was clear that Dakota also got the same text message. You’ve gotta hand it to Gavin: he manages to get me and Dakota to shoot his party and get Eidur Gudjohnsen to spin. How? Anyway, Wonderland was Wonderland: Insane, crazy, driving Ms. Daisy, etc. Dakota’s already posted about that night here. Hilight of the night, shit, my life was meeting the hot bitches of Jet Leather and receiving this jewel from them.

» My shots from C.U.N.T. on May 19

Back to the prior week After a full day of working with that half melted brain thoughts of catching Sean Gone’s Mechanix party at Steve’s Bar or Soulfly at Fly Lounge on Wednesday went straight to waste. On Thursday I managed to shuffle through Asylum for SHWARTZ, then Steve’s for that mid 90s thing where actually! there was no free Red Stripe. I couldn’t have been less interested in either one, as live as both parties were what with all that eagle flapping and grinding .

Friday. Policy. It was a rough night for almost every bar I went to except Lucky Bar and Policy. Yes. I went to Lucky Bar. More on that later. Policy always manages to either pull in a late rush. Tonight’s last minute crowd was mostly made up of college grads celebrating their release into the wild, more or less. I’m betting on “less”. Later, I headed out to see Chris Burns and Jesse Bishop’s party at Eyebar. Ooooooooooh K. Bang a U to Lucky Bar. It was that kind of night.

» Shots of Policy and erm Lucky Bar.

Saturday. BYT’s Masquerade Ball at House of Sweden Again, me and Dakota. A house full of masked people, watching dudes overdouche themselves behaving inappropriately with the intriguing wee Russian contorsionist woman. More than one fake couple made up a story about being newly engaged or married just to get a shot out of me. Why? Gavin Holland’s 80s girl drop — Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and I Just Want to Dance With Somebody and some other shit I forgot — caused much fuss pon the dance. Here’s BYT’s coverage of  that night. Completely forgot about and skipped the Ethiopian brodown at Mate and cabbed to LIV for Fatback. WTF. The place is packed well beyond comfort. Many faces from House of Sweden. There are three photogs other than me shooting and I’m dying to see their captures. Mine are next.

» More shots of the Green Masquerade Ball and Fatback.

Tuesday. Check. Wednesday. Pecha Kucha at the Embassy of Finland My interest in the Pecha Kucha events and their potential is hugely renewed by tonight’s session. Up to now I had written this event off as a lost cause, mainly because of the large bloc of mannerless, chatty freeloaders who’re attracted to it. On this occasion, the theme of the presentations was Sound and the announcers took pains to make sure that audience kept silent. One of the presenters was Simone Jacobson, formerly of Hillyer Art Space, who talked about this project she’s involved with. Another was graphic designer, musician and label owner Richard Chartier who was partly responsibly for the long running the epic ambient-glitchy Filler parties on Sundays at Blue Room (now Bourbon). Dissident Display collaborator Yoko also co-presented something or other with a friend. There was also an architect talking about japanese gardens (I think), a tv producer discussing his GPS-driven audio project, a film composer and an NPR producer and violinist. It’s amazing what a $10 cover and Wednesday night time slot can do to filter out the riff raff, not to mention the outstanding showcase itself.

» More Pecha Kucha shots from the Embassy of Finland

Dropped by Fly Lounge for a minute. Regretted it in 3 … 2 … This little Kwame-come-lately Lacoste bama approached me about selling him shots of himself and his friends and wanted to know how much. I gave him a price. He wouldn’t shut up about how “Aw dog. It ain’t that deep dog. It just ain’t that deep. Dog. It ain’t that deep dog. Dog.” After a while his words lost all definition and meaning, like he was going “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm”. Then, of course, he told me he’s from Brooklyn, which is probably a lie. I didn’t even get to shoot enough to justify the aggravation.

» More Fly Lounge shots here

Thursday night I finally got to see what became of the old Korean haunt Daedelus (it’s Josephine now). I remember being amazed at seeing piles of hippity hoppity asian kids, some with corn rows, some with afros (Where there’s a will …). It was 2002 so the Korea-Japan World Cup kits were in full effect. Anyway I think I replied “Fuck this place” when guest dj Chris Burns asked me what I thought. The one nice thing about the club is the little parlor that resident dj Kamal and Burns had to them/ourselves. It’s perfectly proportioned for good times. Looking back, all my favorite places in every city I’ve lived in have always been about that size.

» More shots of Kamal and Chris Burns here

Friday. My Memorial Weekend kicks off at a multi-floor, multi-force, mostly female dj showcase called Girls On Top (where else?) Naturally I missed everything except the very lasts wisps of dust popping off the speakers before the party shut down. From what I heard … actually, I forgot what I heard about the turnout. The dj Anna Lunoe had the whole room on swoon probably, right? Someone said something about half of my photos being ones of Lunoe. So? If you’ve ever seen Dave Nada work his mixer, you know he’s twitchy as balls. Lunoe made Nada look positively sleepy. Am I wrong, Ca$$idy?

» Hundreds of Anna Lunoe shots here

I was having a time wrapping up some Saturday photo work in time to make it to both Bee’s Knees BBQ and Nihilita record release at Velvet Lounge and the eternally raging beast that is Hometown Heroes. Being habitually late to everything tends to settle the question, so $11 up Georgia Avenue to the Trinidad and Tobago Clubhouse it was. Slow for sure at first, plus some regulars were MIA at one of a million competing parties around town. The kids who stuck around got the Blaqstarr that they came for. Certified.

» More shots of Hometown Heroes

The marathon durge finally ended after Policy’s Sunday night joint with Stereofaith, who’ll be back this Friday, May 29. He gave those 80s costumed refugees from the Black Cat that showed up about as much Madonna as any straight black man could summon before going into involuntary fits of vogueing. There are no medals for this type of valor. Just say “Thanks, man” next time you see Steve.

» More shots of Sunday night Policy

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» More and more
» My deepest thoughts

Related:

• PHOTOS: Red Stripe presents Terry Lynn & Johan Hugo at G Fine Art (and Wonderland) (2)
• PHOTOS: Dip Set! Dip Set! (and Mr. V) (4)
• Extreme Techno w/ Josh Wink (12)
• Competing C.U.N.T.’s (12)
• PHOTOS: BYT Green Masquerade @ House of Sweden (19)

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