FML 4th Anniversary Party, Mon, Dec 8 @ Flash
For some, the end of the year is reserved for predictions of things to come. But when Fly Nightclub was on the verge of closing last summer, I made the prediction then, in print, that Flash strip club could very easily become a hot new dance spot — and before the new year has even begun, it has. FML, the weekly Monday party helping create this change, was started by two of the village’s most down-to-earth promoters. It’s probably the fact that Monty Tayara and Joey Viola are a couple that makes them so approachable. There is no need for the bitchy desperation or fame whoring that sometimes comes with promoting when you have the one you love with you throwing a party for your friends and their friends (even Alan Cumming slid in one night). The duo has moved their weekly industry-focused night from Fuzion (which then became The Vic and then closed down) to O’Grady’s to here. Now, with a real dancefloor, actual club lighting and the added bonus of a stripper pole (which gets plenty of attention), opening night of FML at their new home was a turning point. Tonight, a few weeks later, Mama Mojo Barbie Jo welcomes all to their fourth-anniversary throwdown before Devine Darlin, one of the many rotating resident performers, takes to the stage. But it is special guest Sofonda who captivates everyone with a birthday number from inside, then outside, a huge, clear inflatable ball, which she not only dances in but hurls glow-in-the-dark paint onto. It’s an extra special show that she could have easily performed for much more money at a much larger party. “ I love these guys,” she says, splattered in paint post-show. “This was my gift to them.”
Buddies Afterhours, Sat, Dec 13 @ Buddies
For me, the end of the year is reserved for looking back on past parties. Last year, I presented a Deep Dish Best Bartender-Created-Beverage Award to Patricia Wilson of Buddies. Her creation, the Patricia Pickle-Back, is simply a shot of Jack Daniels followed by a shot of pure pickle juice. It’ll keep you on your toes and on your game. Now, Buddies is stepping up their game, having decided that, after years of running their profitable Friday and Saturday parties more like a suburban high school dance than a downtown bar, to shake things up. “It’s a tricky thing,” says regular performer Cassandra Moore after the show. “Their party events are legally considered charity events because Buddies is a not-for-profit organization.” But now this NFP is spending more CASH to improve their nights by changing up the entertainment. This includes go-go guys (or, as I call them, buddy boys). Tonight, Tyler and Travis, clad in skimpy shorts and matching pink leather harness (created by Moore), use the central staircase as runway to showcase their twerking ability and multi-step agility. It’s a hit. A little eye-candy while dancing to some Iggy Azalea can put a smile on anyone’s face. And it’s so much easier to pick up that guy across the dancefloor when a buddy boy busting out of his bootie shorts puts the idea of sex in your mind. But if you need to calm down your nether member before you slide over to make contact, take a trip to the bar and suck buck a Pickle-Back. That award-winning advice is my gift to you.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the names of FML organizer Monty Tayara and singer Iggy Azalea.
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