The VMA's.

Man! What a freakin' show, right? I have to admit that I've watched it a couple of times. Eaten it all up with a spoon.

Of course, I had already watched it, in theory, via my girl Spinderella's Facebook/Twitter posts just hours before (she was in NYC, where it aired earlier). Her posts were full of delicious little hinting morsels that I devoured. Here they are in succession from Sunday evening:

6:23 PM "ok Beyonce pregnant is just beautiful news!!!"
6:24 PM "Broooklyn is standin up!!!!"
6:33 PM "ok shows over Beyonces pregnant!!!! #VMAs"
6:36 PM "Hahaaaa Love Will Ferrell!'"
6:51 PM "ok im wearin RED lipstick tonight ;)"
7:11 PM "Nice Hair Kim.. what length is that 22'?"
7:12 PM "Thats right BEIBER.. #JESUS"
7:14 PM "WWWWWWWWWWW"
7:17 PM "ok on the aerodynamics.. i see the cords Chris.."
7:18 PM "NOOOOOOOOO JESSIE"

The reason that I share this is that as the show started out here, it all became hilariously clear what Spin had been talking about! Beyonce pregnant? That's gonna be some baby right there! Lady GaGa in drag? Total mixed feelings on that one. However, bitch can still move and sing and play the piano like a champ! That's undisputed. Kim Kardashian is hot, but why is she famous? The kicker is, as I begin to get all caught up in the drama, I have the realization that, in the end, it's probably all just perfectly executed propoganda. Completely contrived. Reality TV at it's finest. So then, it becomes just about the performances.

A Few Of My favorite moments:
Beyoncé - Love On Top (Live): Beyoncé performs "Love On Top" live at the 2011 VMAs.

Chris Brown - Yeah 3X/ Protect Ya Neck/ Teen Spirit/ Beautiful People (Live): Chris Brown Performs "Yeah 3X/ Protect Ya Neck/ Teen Spirit/ Beautiful People Medley" Live at the 2011 VMAs

Adele - Someone Like You (Live): Adele performs "Someone Like You" live at the 2011 VMAs.

What are your favorites?

XXX


L.A.K.

What's In My Box? Wesley Holmes! That's Right!

Mornin' peeps! I'm up and at 'em so I can get some serious work done before it gets too hot up here in the country! Lots of prep to do before our annual garden party this weekend when our urban fam dare to forey into the great unknown that is, Marysville. Bah Dum Bum. I've been lax on the posting 'cause mama's been busy playin' lots of private parties, working on the next issue of Hard Times Press (due out in September - and it's a good one!), shippin' the ginger boy off to Camp Ten Trees and...well, isn't that enough?!?! In order to make up for my laziness on the posting tip, I thought I would share this fantastic mix that I stumbled upon on Facespace a few days back. I've listened to it a couple of times. It's smooth and funky and flawless and it's by none other than that handsome rascal, Seattle House Music Royalty, Mr. Welsey Holmes. Who doesn't love that dude?! Check out his latest below. You know this mix is gonna be rockin' our garden party this weekend! Well done!

An EVENING with WESLEY HOLMES by Wesley Holmes

XXX


L.A.K.

The Body Politic: ...And The Race Is On!

Well, Michelle Bachmann wins the straw poll in Iowa this weekend. Some say this officially kicks off the race for the nomination, and then, ultimately the presidency for 2012. Judging by the coverage I consumed on MSNBC and progressive talk radio this morning, I'd have to agree.

Iowa's Straw Poll Can Lead to the Presidency. God help us all if this cycle's winner becomes the Commander in Chief (as I give myself the sign of the cross). There's absolutely not a single word in the Constitution that says Iowa gets to vote for president before any other state does. It just does, has for years. Iowa, like many of our United States, had precinct caucuses that elected delegates to county conventions, which in turn elected delegates to the state convention, which then elected delegates to the national convention. Little attention was paid to the precinct caucuses until 1972. That was the year that anti-war activist Alan Baron, seeking to capitalize on Iowa's traditional dovishness, promoted a poll of those attending the precinct caucuses. George McGovern finished a strong second to party front-runner Edmund Muskie and went on to win the Democratic nomination. Four years later a former Georgia governor traveled Iowa's 99 counties, staying in the homes of normal folk. He finished second in the Iowa straw poll, won the Democratic nomination and became President Jimmy Carter. Second huh? Ron Paul finished second to Michelle Bachmann this year. That doesn't make me feel much better...

No matter how you slice it, the straw poll has, for better or worse, reshaped the race for a Republican US presidential candidate. It forced former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty to quit and sent poll-winner Michele Bachmann on a delirious media tour in order to sustain her momentum. I'm sure she'll be keeping a death grip on that momentum, especially now that Texas governor Rick Perry has joined the field. Another Texan in The White House? For gods sake. This is a dream, right? I'm going to wake up and this is all going to have been a nightmare. Right?

It's no secret that I, given the two choices, would consider myself a Democrat. Though I think both political parties are bought and paid for by corporate interests. I just worry because Michelle Bachmann is a Tea Partier with a loose grip on history and the Constitution. Ron Paul has some great ideas in theory, but when being practical, don't seem to stand up to conventional wisdom. Rick Perry, well, there's a laundry list of things I could say about him, but A) He's from Texas, and B) He thought George Bush was a good president. The Republicans in general scare me when in power. When they have The White House, they spend like drunken sailors. When they don't, they blame budget deficits on everyone else and scream for taxes to be cut. Sigh.

I'm finding it hard to "get it up" to be excited and motivated like I was in the last several Presidential elections. I'm tired. I'm disappointed. I'm losing hope that things can change. When watching news, reading about it, discussing it with my friends, I get the general sense that everyone else feels the same way. If we all are sincerely ambivalent, where does that leave us?

With Michelle Bachmann?

Jesus, I hope not....

I need a drink!

XXX


L.A.K.

Get Your Madonna On At Lezbro- Tomorrow Night!

My pal Tony Burns and I are Madonna obsessed. It's a passion we share. For me it started as a young girl. I went through all the phases with her. She was the only artist whose albums my mother would allow me to purchase. My heart was broken when she married Sean Penn, I was stoked when she posed nude, inspired by her burning crosses, and I absolutely adored belting out her tunes at the top of my lungs during various phases of my life. Some of her least acclaimed music is my favorite. But, I digress.... For Tony, well, I'm not sure where it started (I'll have to ask him that question), but like any good gay, he's a freak for her as well. In fact, it was his idea that during August, for Lezbro, we would do a Madonna themed installment.

So, for all you Madonna lovers out there, trot your sweet ass down to The Wildrose tomorrow night and get into the groove! Pun intended.

We'll be whoopin' it up Madonna style. I am even planning on belting out "Burning Up", and the fabulousity that is ArtStar has a Madonna themed performance up his sleeve as well. Tony Burns and myself will be playing Madonna heavy in the rotation. It's going to be B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Here's the info from the Facebook invite:

LEZBRO
The Madonna Edition
Friday, August 12, 2011
@ The Wildrose (1021 E. Pike St, Seattle, WA, 98122)
9PM – 2AM $5 Cover CHEAP ASS DRINK SPECIALS!
...21 + W/ID


Last month Nastina and Dev-J rocked our LEZBRO world. This month, LEZBRO continues, Friday, August 12th at The Wildrose (1021 E. Pike St., Seattle). LEZBRO is the lovechild of DJ’s LA Kendall and Tony Burns. This night for fag hags (ladies that love themselves some gay boys), dyke tykes (guys that pal around with ladies who love ladies) & fruit-flies (straight people that like to hang with the queers) has become quite a happening and the antithesis of what you normally see at The Wildrose! COME AS YOU ARE! As always, the dance floor will be flooded with all kinds of party jams!

This month’s installment of LEZBRO is hereby deemed: The Madonna Edition.
We’ve loved her for several decades now, and residents L.A. Kendall and Tony Burns are simply OCD over the bitch! August being her birth month, it seemed like the perfect time to celebrate the material girl, Madonna. There will be amazing Madonna themed performances (that you DO NOT want to miss by LA Kendall, ArtStar and Lili Delight), the DJ’s will be playing a heavy dose of her greatest hits (and then some), the projections will have a gluttonous amount of Madonna videos on display, and partygoers will be adorned in an assortment of Madonna themed garb. Hell, we might even convince Shelley at The ‘Rose to come up with a Madonna themed drink special!

The Wildrose also offers super economical (and by that, we mean CHEAP) cover charge – a mere $5, as well as some incredibly unbelievable drink specials (varies from night to night). This makes Lezbro hard to pass up! So come early for your pre-funk, stumble in late for your wrap-up, or stay all night and don’t miss a thing – but GET THERE! Lezbro….LET’S GO!


Rumor even has it that if you dress in any sort of Madonna themed gear, you can get in FREE! Work it out people!

See you on the dancefloor....

XXX


L.A.K.

1,825 days in Seattle w/Miss Oblivious & 30 years w/Lady Krishna

Tomorrow night I am REALLY looking forward to being a part of this! I absolutely adore Kook Teflon, aka Miss Oblivious, aka Cheyanne Payne. A true artist, an absolute original, and one of the sweetest souls I know! A great line up as well, which I am proud to be a part of! Can't wait to see all those pics! Read on....

When asked what events one has proudly participated in over the last five years, most would mutter something about a promotion at work, some sort of commencement at school, or the final payment on some mundane material possession. Miss Oblivious, on the other hand, has spent the last five years in an uninhibited pursuit of those events in life that permeate one with indignant awe.

1,825 Days in Seattle is a collection of photographs taken by Miss Oblivious during her tenure in the Rain City; during which she was given access to the unique world of Seattle ’s anti-establishment arts. Always with her camera in hand, Miss Oblivious is just as comfortable participating in the events as she is photographing them, including creating hand-sewn dolls for performances by Circus Contraption, hosting parlor events at The Seattle Cabaret Festival, adorning Bellydance troupes as tarot cards, and crafting curios for The Can Can Cabaret. Beyond the photography of events and performances, are her collection of individual portraits that seem to capture the true temperament of her eccentric Seattleite subjects. If there is one event you should proudly participate in, make it 1,825 Days in Seattle .

Curated by DAMEBUILDER

Thursday August 11th, 2011 / 6 PM - Midnight
Fred Wildlife Refuge
127 East Boylston
Seattle WA 98101

$5.00 donation

....included in the evening will be live performances and DJ's
Stella Rose//Eliza Rickman//SistaFIST//DJ HOOKER//DJ LA Kendall//J9 Fierce//Chad Carver//ARTSTAR surprise
(plus more TBA)

Featured Artists:

MISS OBLIVIOUS-
Miss Oblivious , lives in a world of perpetual ruinous glamour and, as the Seattle Times so elegantly inscribed, is the official documentarian of the Seattle cabaret scene. A doll-maker, photographer, painter, writer, film-maker, promoter, producer, and art instructor, she is inspired by people and events that embody the underbelly of society including, but not limited to, the dust-bowl glamour of traveling sideshows and circuses, the dark history of Gold Rush era Seattle and New Orleans’ French Quarter, and the unacknowledged icons of queer culture. Although Miss Oblivious has had her dolls and photographs exhibited in New York , Los Angeles , San Francisco , and New Orleans , she is a regular participant of art and photography exhibits in Seattle.

Miss Oblivious and her inspiring art work were the subject of a January 2010 feature article in Seattle ’s Sinner magazine. She has unashamedly introduced Seattle to "New Orleans PopRockNeoVock" Vockah Redu & tha Cru, Miss Oblivious is one of the co-founders of the ongoing annual Seattle Cabaret Festival. She is currently available for commissions and photo shoots and would like her collectors to know that she places a eucalyptus nut from 19th century trees planted in the San Francisco estate of former New Orleans resident and civil rights advocate, Mary Ellen Pleasant in most of her dolls.


LADY KRISHNA -
30 Year retrospect in fliers from NYC - Seattle.... Lady Krishna (Natasha) is a true artist with every step & breath she takes. The UNTOUCHABLE DIVA FROM PARIS TO NYC. Encompassing her peers to embrace their inner beauty with strength, living un-selfish + so eager to enlighten. Notorious and yet personable, giving yet gifted, she paints and collages master pieces that the elite can relate to. We shall all take note and engulf this experience....


I don't care how you get there people! Just get there if you can!

XXX


L.A.K.

Another Great Mix From DJ Transport!

I love it when other DJ's share their mixes. I have acquired quite a collection of rockin' mixes that I love to listen to in the car on road trips, when chillin' around the house, or when I need a little juice to get the party started. This mix, shared to me by the talented DJ Transport, hits the spot in so many ways! Disco, Soul, Electro House goodness!

DJ Transport/CandyGazm
CANDYGAZM by dj transport

If you like this mix as much as I do, do yourself a favor and motor over to his Facebook Page and "Like" Him. This way you'll be able to keep up on his appearances, maybe catch one, and download his next mix for yourself when he posts it!

Cheers!

XXX


L.A.K.

Tomorrow night! Rock & Roll Fantasy: LABYRINTH!

Three Dollar Bill Outdoor Cinema presents ROCK & ROLL FANTASY, on select Friday nights this summer at Cal Anderson Park. Unlock your mind and get ready to rock with these fantastic summer movies, full of music and fun!

Tomorrow's movie is.....wait for it....LABYRINTH!

To rescue her baby brother from the clutches of The Goblin King (David Bowie), a daydreaming girl (Jennifer Connelly) must navigate her way through a maze loaded with Jim Henson’s magical puppet creations and captivating musical moments. (1986, 101 min.)

All screenings are FREE and start at dusk. Hot popcorn, cold drinks, candy and other concessions for sale on site. Limited lawn chair rentals available.

Come early to enjoy music w/ DJs LA KENDALL (Hard Times, Lezbro) + SKIDDLE (C89.5 FM) bringing you the 12hr notice shopping cart realness!! Get your paws on one of the last copies of the current issue of Hard Times Press!

To RSVP on faceplace, click here!

It's gonna be a blast! See you there! Share your flask!

XXX


L.A.K.

The Body Politic: The Debt Crisis, Jobs, The FAA, Racism, Food Safety & Birth Control.

Well, the debt ceiling crisis is behind us. Thank god. FOR NOW anyway. It’s time shift gears from dramatic Republican actions to abolish everything to banal Republican actions to irritate absolutely everybody.

The Republicans failed to shut down the entire economy of the United States of America, but while we were busy fighting the good fight on that, they did take the opportunity to partially shut down the FAA. Republicans shut down part of the Federal Aviation Administration as part of a bid on their part to make it harder for aviation and other transportation workers to unionize. To accomplish that, they’re willing to make the entire country into a “no-fly” zone. Thanks to this partial shutdown, thousands of employees were furloughed and the government was unable to collect taxes on airline tickets—a loss of about $200 million in the first week of the shutdown alone. Yet another Republican stand on spending that ends up costing us money. Stop the insanity!!!

The latest jobs report changes nothing. We had no engine of economic growth when we all woke up on this morning, and we still don't have one. We have no operative plan to fix what ails us. We are in a bad place and sliding toward a worse one. I hate to sound like the voice of gloom and doom here, but something has to change. Doesn't it? Maybe Superman will come and save us soon. Yeah, that's it...

Several days back, on Al Sharpton’s show, Pat Buchanan described President Obama to Sharpton as “your boy, Barack Obama.” Al Sharpton was clearly shocked. He must have forgotten he was talking to Pat Buchanan. Here's the thing though, given Congressman Doug Lamborn’s “tar baby” comments (in reference to working on initiatives the President put forth), Pat’s epithet wasn’t even the worst one of this week. People are calling for Buchanan to be fired or suspended from his job at MSNBC. However, saying things like that is Pat Buchanan’s job at MSNBC. He backpedaled on Morning Joe the next day, trying to put the comment on Al Sharpton (he was making a boxing reference..yeah, that's it), but let's call a spade a spade already. Racists. Obstructionists. Bastards!

Oh yeah, our food isn't safe either. Are you shocked? Millions of pound of ground turkey had to be recalled this last week. There is at least one reported death and numerous people severely ill. Yeah, let's do more deregulation. That's the solution to everything!

Congressman Steve King of Iowa was quoted as saying that birth control will destroy America. Yeah, that's what is going to destroy America. Right. At least there was no racial epithet in this latest burst of Republican stupidity. He stated that a requirement that new health insurance plans pay for birth control will make America “a dying civilization.” Really? We can’t pinpoint exactly why Rome fell, but it likely wasn't the availability of condoms. King literally said “If we let our birth rate get down below replacement rate we’re a dying civilization.” OK. America faces a lot of problems. Depopulation is not one of them. Besides, even if Americans completely stopped having babies, we could make up the difference easily with new immigrants. Oh wait, immigrants aren’t part of what you consider “civilization”. As for “the replacement rate”? This country would be a lot better off if certain people were not replaced, and Congressman Steve King is one of them.

Oy! Time for cocktail! Come join me tonite for a movie in the park at Cal Anderson! Click here for details on that event!
XXX


L.A.K.

Portland's First Annual Queer Music Festival Turned It Out!

This past Saturday, morning me and The Ginger Girl loaded up the Lezbaru, and after stopping in Seattle to pick up friends who were tagging along on the road trip, we were Portland bound. As my last post reported, I was slated to perform at Portland's First Annual Queer Music Festival alongside a slew of other talented folks. The car was filled with anticipation at what this festival would be like (it being their first), and excitement about the entire line up (chock full of Queer music goodness).

We pulled into Portland at about 3PM. It was hot and we were sick of being in traffic. It was a huge relief to be greeted by some of my favorite Portland peeps, the amazing combo of Mary & Katey (also know to Portlandia as DJ's/Party personalities/Super Couple, Mr. Charming & Roy G Biv). They were, once again, amazing hosts, and had agreed to handle the music during my performance. Katey has mastered the art of summer grilling. They filled up our bellies with delicious food & our minds with scintillating conversation. Before we knew it, we had an hour to get to the venue. Everyone scattered to get ready and regrouped an hour later, ready for action!

Once we arrived at the venue, it was game on! We checked in at the stage, dropped our bags backstage, and after realizing we were running about 45 minutes behind the schedule, we grabbed some cocktails and scoped things out. The venue's that the festival happened in, Red Cap Garage & Boxxes, play host to a myriad of LGBTQ programming on the regular. The venues are connected by a hallway, which made them perfect for this dueling stage, staggered line up that the festival organizers had planned. Big shout out here for Samuel Thomas, who worked his A-S-S off making this thing happen. It was an incredible experience, and an excellent first year! I look forward to see what he cooks up in the future. Keep your eyes on this festival by "liking" them on Facebook.

So, to keep what could be a long story short here, when it was time for me to perform, I did the damn thing. It was awesome! I had fun, Katey (Roy G. Biv) worked it out for me on the music tip and kept things moving (THANK YOU KATEY!), and Mr. Charming added the "Whammy" with the amazing confetti - Frisbees that she'd purchased earlier in the day (THANK YOU MARY!). The room was full of peeps which included a ton of friends who came out to support (THANK YOU FRIENDS!). When the show was over we watched a marathon of performances before we cut out of there at about midnight for some grub. Here are some pics of my favorite performances:

CJ & THE DOLLS:


GLITTERBANG:


PLAY/START:


SECRET SHOPPERS:


I also loved Noddy (though I left midway through their performance because the crew was exhausticated and ready to roll out), missed Boys & Mixtapes (which made me sad, but I was getting ready to perform while they were prepping for the other stage), as well as Sistafist (who my good friend Kook is having at FRED on August 11th here in Seattle).

That's about all I have on that experience. We had to roll back to Seattle the next day after a lovely brunch with our hosts (I hear we missed out on some good beach time). It was an awesome time, that wiped me out, which is why it's taken me 4 days to write a wrap up. Portland continues to rule in my book, and I can't wait to go back!

XXX


L.A.K.