ADRIAN DOES STUFF

I gotta admit – maybe I'm just not cut out for the blogging shit.

I mean, damn, it's been like TWO MONTHS since I last wrote anything for this here blog. But it's not like it's because I have nothing going on. In fact, it's just the opposite. TOO MUCH is going on – at least, too much for me to sit down and waste an hour writing about it all. Not when there are clubs to promote, mashups to make, bands to sing with, and parties to go to!

Okay, so what the fuck has been going on? Well ... mostly club and DJ stuff, which is all good. There's now something Bootie-related three out of four weekends a month: Bootie SF, Bootie LA, and Mini-Bootie at Pop Roxx. So there's always a steady stream of "projects" to do, which is keeps us busy. Stuff like...

The grand re-opening of Bootie at DNA Lounge

Seems like we're ALWAYS working on the club in some form or another. Yes, Bootie is our baby – and the baby has been needing lots of attention lately. We had our grand re-opening at DNA Lounge on March 10th. It was a big move for us, moving to a venue that's three times the size. Mysterious D had a theory that if we moved Bootie to a bigger space, that more people would simply magically come. Party Ben and I were a bit worried when we initially made the decision two months ago to move Bootie to DNA Lounge – the space is huge, and we had gotten used to the crammed, cozy confines of Cherry Bar/Annie's ... but damn, that girl was right!

The night was full, and I feel like we definitely still kept that friendly Bootie "vibe," despite the bigger size. Friendly, mashed-up crowd, lots of smiling faces, and a LOT of dancing. Trying to clear the stage for each drag performance was rough, because everyone wanted to jump up there and dance! The Lusty Lady go-go dancers added a sexy touch, without being all bimbo-hoochie (they're VERY Suicide Girls, which we like). Go-go 'it boy' Steven Satyricon was back, now that we have go-go platforms for him! And people were just nuts!

DJ Dada broke out from his "rock mashup" thing and got a dance floor going 20 minutes after we opened the doors! DAMN! Mad props to him ... I thought he spun a great set of choice mashes that bridged the gap between rock and dance. Smash-Up Derby went on around 11:30, and it took us a couple songs to find our groove, but when we did, it felt so ON. Princess Kennedy hopped on stage to go-go dance with us, but rocking out in 5-inch stiletto heels is rough! She accidentally fell onto my co-singer Trixxie, and they both toppled onto Jason, our guitarist – during his big Nirvana guitar solo on "Smells Like Billie Jean" –- and he didn't miss a note! It was brilliant. I'm going to love being in the house band!

Party Ben and Mysterious D did most of the spinning that night, as I was running around like crazy trying to run things! I really need to hire a floor manager next month, because it was actually NO FUN for me trying to crack the whip to make sure all the shows and sets went off on time (which they didn't). But still, we had two of the best mashup shows ever, with Foxy Cotton doing a very conceptual performance to Dean Gray's "Dr. Who On Holiday" that actually was a bit political, and Glamamore, Suppositori Spelling, and Hoku Mama Swamp performing to our own "Beethoven's Fifth Gold Digger," which involved lots of ghetto fabulous posturing. Suppositori Spelling is moving to London next month, so watch out UK, that's all I can say!

Around 12:30, we opened the upstairs lounge, where DJs Jay-R and Kidd Sysko spun. It was a welcome respite from the craziness downstairs, about 10 degrees cooler, and with room to dance! It ended up being a bit of a VIP "Friends & Family" Room, with DJ John, Matt Hite, Tripp, and Frienemy all hanging out up there. I gotta say, Jay-R really knows how to throw down a set! It sounded great up there!

At 3 AM, we finally shut down, closing the night once again with Arty Fufkin's "We Belong Together Time After Time." Trixxie Carr had made a whole bunch of pirate decorations for us, and thankfully, they were real easy to take down. We taxied over to the after-party which was NOT at Party Ben's! (He had to fly to Nebraska the next morning ... hey, I thought the only reason we moved the club was to be CLOSER to Ben's for the after-party!)

Anyway, D and I were on such a high for the next few days ... it was a great night ... even though it was freezing cold outside, and it even snowed (which it never does in San Francisco). Can't wait for next month!

London or Bust!

But before the next Bootie, we're heading off to London next week, where we're going to be guest DJing at Uber, an electro/bootleg night put on by DJ Payroll at 93 Feet East, a very cool club in the East End.

This just so happens to fall on the same weekend as the London screening of the Trannyshack movie in the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival (It's been recently re-edited and re-titled Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Story). Of course, with London being overrun by a bunch of San Francisco drag queens, that pretty much sealed the deal for us. We just HAD to go! So it should be a pretty exciting, whirlwind weekend.

We've rented a flat in Soho with Jason El Diablo and Miss Lynda, and we're all flying over there next Wednesday. Princess Kennedy and our friend Marty are also on the same flight! This is going to be a blast! I'm going to be singing a number at Uber with Holestar – she's a faux queen – and again at the post-screening Trannyshack show at Horse Meat Disco. Definitely mixing business with pleasure on this trip. And I cannot wait to go shopping at Camden Stables Market. Last time I was in London, I spent about $1000 on clothes from Cyberdog, Spank, Combination, and Vicious ... my favorite streetwear fashion labels from the UK. I've been saving up, so don't be surprised if you see me in some new cybergoth duds in April!

I can't believe we're blowing off Bootie LA for London

Yup, we're playing hooky from Bootie LA so we can go to London. This is why we have co-promoters, right? Paul V. and Party Ben will be babysitting for us on Saturday, April 1st, and I'm sure it's all going to be fine. It does feels weird to throw a club without being there though.

However, I've gotta admit: Bootie LA is a mysteriously easy party to throw. It's usually pretty low-stress and people always seem to show up and be really up for it. We dragged DJ Earworm down with us last month to do a guest DJ set (and it was really great hanging out with him all weekend). Anyway, he was marveling at how enthusiastic the crowd there was. Jumping up and down, big smiles, really eager and open to hear what you're doing. Perhaps our San Francisco audience is so used to what we do at Bootie, that a bit of the "wow factor" is understandably gone.

But not in LA. Apparently, there are still a lot of people who have yet to hear the sort of mashups that we throw down, so it's still exciting and new. They're really actively participatory – when I send out an email to our Bootie LA list, they actually click on the mashup links. People come up and request mashups that they know you've created. Obscure stuff too! I couldn't believe it when someone came up to request the A plus D mashup, "Real Big Time."

And when Smash-Up Derby played there in February, it was insane! We really need to get our asses down there more often. If only gas wasn't so expensive...

Smash-Up Derby in da house!

Speaking of the little mashup band that could ... funny how we're starting to get some really good gigs lately. Yes, the band that I pretty much started for shits and giggles, when my career-oriented band Blue Period died a hard death. Besides the Bootie gigs that I set up for us, we're starting to get some really good shows coming our way. About a month ago we played a private party at Great American Music Hall, and we felt like total rock stars. We played every single song we know (about an hour and ten minutes worth, as it turned out) and they loved it. Even got tipped out at the end. Woo-hoo!

I'm starting to realize that I need to send our promo kit not to venues, but to corporate event planners. That's where the money – not to mention our audience – really is!

Two days later we opened up for My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and we got a great response. We definitely felt the love! It's always weird being in a cover band (admittedly, a very fucked-up cover band, but still) playing with bands that are doing original music – but we always seem to win people over.

Some gigs in the works for Washington D.C. and Seattle ... hopefully they'll come through.

Other random things going on

• Secret CD Project #2 is finally finished. We sent it off to the manufacturer last week. I can't wait for this thing to get out there. Definitely a step up from the last one ... and the cover is all kinds of parody brilliance. I giggle everytime I look at it!

• We played a DJ gig for Yahoo, and a week later flew to San Diego for another Yahoo party. Now that the term "mashup" has been appropriated by the tech geeks, we're getting hired for all $orts of corporate gig$. Trust me, I'm not complaining.

• Marcy Meow moved away. I miss her. (But I have a sneaky feeling that she'll be back.)

• We finally got digital cable and a DVR! Woo-hoo, so high-tech, so "the future is now." I mean, having your life revolve around when a particular TV show comes on (I'm talking to you, Project Runway. And you too, Lost) is soooo last century. Tivo rocks.

• I wish Santino had won Project Runway. I don't care what anyone says, he was our favorite. We even ordered the Santino t-shirt.

• We're seeing Vitalic on Thursday. And Pop Roxx is this Saturday! DJ Oli from the UK will be joining us on the decks!

• We leave for London in a week! Aaaaiggh! I'm glad we just got new cell phones that work over there ... oh yeah, and MP3 ringtones that you can create yourself pretty much rock! Of course, my ringtone is our own "Call Me Hung Up" mashup. Why yes, I AM a dork.

This is the first year in a long time I haven’t made a solid list of New Years Resolutions. Maybe it’s because I’m already doing pretty much everything I want to do. Oh sure, I’ve got some plans and goals for the coming year … but most of them I’m already getting done, or am in the process of getting in place.

Yeah, yeah, I should probably really resolve to get a flatter stomach and eat healthier and all that. And I intend to. I just don’t need to make a New Years Resolution about it.

One of my goals was to make more mash-ups this coming year, and I’m already doing that. I’m working on a “Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll” trilogy of mash-ups for local band Protection. We just released the first one, Protect Yourself While Having Sex, mashing them up with the early-90s dance track “People Are Still Having Sex” by the long-forgotten La Tour. It works seamlessly – perhaps a little too seamlessly, because if you’re not familiar with either track, it probably doesn’t even sound like a mash-up!

Just finished up Beethoven’s Fifth Gold Digger, based on a little something from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack – a disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony – mashed up with Kanye West's ubiquitous "Gold Digger." We added some extra beats for a little modern-day dance floor oomph – not much kick-drum bass in those old '70s records. And finally, there's a little cameo from Usher. I think it's going to be our new big mashup hit.

Bootie is moving in March!

Other plans for 2006 are starting to take shape. We’re definitely ready to take Bootie to the next level, something we’ve been working on for a few months now. We were ready to move even before Annie’s Social Club took over the old Cherry Bar. And as much as it pains us to move the club – we absolutely LOVE the new Annie’s bar staff, and they’re really going to great lengths to turn that venue around – the fact of the matter is, we’ve outgrown the space. It’s simply too small and too hot for our crowd. Especially after our January party, which had something like 450 people crammed in there.

So starting in March, Bootie will be at the DNA Lounge. We’ve been a part of their Pop Roxx club night since its inception, and now we’re getting our very own night there. Great sound and lights, projections, a big stage, and webcasting and digital downloading of DJ sets – we really think this is the natural progression for where Bootie is going. Smash-Up Derby will now be able to become the house band, hosting the midnight mash-up show with a plethora of live performers and singers. We have lots of big ideas and plans – including ways to “warm up” the space a little bit. We don’t want to lose that “cozy” feeling of Annie’s – but at the same time, there’s a fine line between “cozy” and “uncomfortably crowded.”

I must admit, we feel bad that we’re leaving Annie’s so soon after they’ve started. As I said, they’re great people, and they seem committed to building up a “scene,” much in the same way the old Covered Wagon had a scene. Live bands, back-room karaoke, very rock n’ roll, punk, rockabilly, that sort of thing. I think they’re going to do really well.

Never trust a DJ in sunglasses

So we took January off from Bootie LA, meaning we were – for once – in town for the first Saturday of the month. Which meant that we could finally do a guest DJ slot at Revolutionary at The End Up. The promoter, Astroboy Jim, had asked about having me DJ there a few months ago, so as soon as I was available, I let him know. Hey, I don’t get many opportunities to spin electro anymore, so any chance I get, I jump on it!

We had the opening set, DJing until 12:30 a.m., which normally, would have been fine. I figured people would start trickling in around 11 p.m., and that I’d have a dancefloor by midnight. But I forgot one thing – this is The End Up. I hadn’t been there in ten years and I forgot – people don’t even GET there until 1 a.m. In fact, it didn’t really get jumping until around 2 a.m. – after all the other bars had closed.

How does this place make money? It’s certainly not from selling booze, because there was hardly anyone there before the bar was shut off! They probably make all their money at 6 a.m., when the bar opens back up!

So Keoki went on after me, unceremoniously mixing out of my set closer, our new Madonna vs. Blondie mash-up, Call Me Hung Up – which is turning out to be a big hit. He tried to clumsily and quickly beat-mix out of it in the middle of the bridge – you know, right before the big climactic choruses at the end – effectively ruining the “big finish” of the song. WTF??!! Is he clueless and doesn’t know how the Blondie song goes – or was he just rude and obnoxious, pulling a DJ diva trip? I think I know the answer. The song only had one more minute to go … but I guess if you’re a “superstar DJ,” it’s okay to just cut the previous DJ’s last song.

He put on some anonymous sounding, fast-paced “thumpa-thumpa” techno-house record, and cleared the dance floor of the measly half-dozen people who I had gotten to dance for the last 15 minutes of my set. No one stepped foot on the dance floor until around 45 minutes later. And he never took off his sunglasses. You gotta wonder about that. It’s a fucking dark nightclub. Never trust a DJ who wears sunglasses in a dimly-lit nightclub.

Plans for the upcoming week

The Trannyshack "Klubstitute tribute" show is tonight ... I just performed there last week for "Spoken Word Night," doing a live spoken word piece called "Vanilla Sex" that I wrote over 10 years ago. Yes, little-known secret: I used to be a "spoken word artist." Hey, don't hold it against me – it was the early '90. It was the thing to do.

My new favorite band, Morningwood, is opening for Head Automatica at Slim's on Thursday. I really really want to go, but I just found out today that it's SOLD OUT. FUCK!! So I'm going to try to get scalped tickets ... I really want to see this band! "Nth Degree" is quite possibly the most perfect debut single for rock band ... EVER. It's just a super-catchy declaration of purpose, a total "we're all in a band!" pop/rock gem – and they even spell out their name in the chorus. Fucking LOVE IT. Like I said, perfect.

And finally, Pop Roxx is this coming Saturday. I promise to get as drunk as last time. Maybe I'll even find my wallet (no one's charged any of my credit cards, so I suspect it's hidden somewhere in the dark recesses of the venue!) I hope so anyway!