Disco yarmulke

Apparently, the yarmulke is becoming an accessory fit for the fashion-conscious hipster. Jason Barco shows off his wonderful mirror ball skull cap while hanging out at the Castle on Saturday night.

Admittedly, the yarmulke is a kitschy thing he wears for the Sunday night Burn party at the Castle where he plays all manner of hip electro music.It's not hard to imagine though, that the yarmulke could take off as a hipster fashion trend much like the keffiyeh did. Maybe there'll be cool polka dot designs and ones made out of shiny, plastic jewelry?

If you want to see J. Barco in action as he's reflecting light off his head while spinning music, check out the Sunday night at the Castle. It's worth the hangover on Monday morning.

The force is not with this one

Proof that the economy is bad for everyone. Even evil forces in a galaxy far, far away.

This lone storm trooper was standing outside of the James Joyce on Friday (3/6) desperate to grab some change to help refuel the Deathstar. It's not bad enough that these guys face getting shot with blasters and cut in half by light sabers, now they've been reduced to begging on street corners to fuel up the famous planet destroyer. If anyone could use a break, it would be these guys. Maybe he should consider switching employment.

Sequins and creamed corn

Glam is awesome. Don't try and deny it. As long as you don't take it too seriously, wearing wigs and sparkles can be some of the best fun you can have. That's what the Glamagic Shove N' Love at the Rat Soap Art Studio (think a Brooklyn style factory set up for dancing and art) was all about. Having fun in whatever way possible. Throw in drag queens, music acts and fashion shows, and you have yourself a stellar way to spend a Wednesday night. Of course, there were a fair share of surprises. Check the photos below to find out for yourself.

Can you get much cooler than this? Victorian wig, Sequined blazer and a pimp cane with a diamond on top, Ricky Diamond was flaunting some extreme style. I've never seen that much dancing at an art show but he got the people moving. Add in a quick costume change to look 80S cool (complete with neon shades!) and you have a man who knows how to put some fun into music.

Meet Sloppy Seconds. Don't know them? Give it a little while and you just might. This new group has got some style that has to heard to be believed. Think hip-hop mixed with rap and then throw in a whole bunch of sexual content just to be safe. The way they describe themselves is electro-sexual. It's nifty and and they kind of remind me of Electrocute. If you like your hip-hop nasty and dirty, keep an eye out for this duo.

I'm not sure how I feel about Nicky Click. If you listen to her music on-line, it sounds alright. In person, she's all over the place. Literally. Falling on the ground and climbing all over stuff. It makes the show very erratic and interesting to say the least. She did fit right in with the crowd at Rat Soap though. I'd say she's a unique Florida oddity but she's from New Hampshire. I'm not used to seeing this type of oddity outside of Florida!

What event is complete without wrestling? Seriously though, that's creamed corn. I felt absolutely disgusted but I couldn't keep from laughing. It was like watching a real-life Jackass episode. It's vomit-inducing, it's stupid but you can't keep from watching and cracking up.

Overall, I'm definitely going to keep a look at Rat Soap Art Studio from now on to see what they do. If they did all this on a Wednesday, I want to see what they'd pull off on a Friday! Make sure to check out the rest of the glamtastic pics!

 

No blinking Rudolphs but bad sweaters none the less

Everyone has gotten at least one ugly sweater for the holidays. The one that is so indescribably tacky that you put it on once to show your grandma that you really like it but took it off and buried it and salted the earth five minutes later. What better way to capitalize upon these instruments of bad fashion then to hold parties featuring them? That's what the Bishop and Push thought to do. While there weren't as many sweaters as we would have liked at either event, there were a few that deserved mention and photographic documentation.

DJ Fresh, DJ T-Quest and Brian Kelly all struck up a pose as they showed off their fuzziness. In case you're wondering, Fresh is wearing a 12 days of Christmas sweater that is all sorts of horrid.

I can haz bad sweater? Sorry, the puppies and kittens on the sweaters that Christina Rizleris and Vanessa Martinez are wearing make me instantly think of Lolcats. I just need to get a Ceiling Cat sweater and I'll be all set.

In my opinion, Michelle McCaw wins for the ugliest sweater, ladies division. It's not just the fact that the sweater vest is absolutely atrocious, it's that it all matches. All the way down to her Chucks! That takes dedication!

Michelle may be the winner for the females but she has nothing on Joshua Reed. Together with Trevor Bennett and John Brown he set a new standard for creepy sweaters. The fact that he's physically fit only adds to the hilarity of seeing him in a midriff-baring sweater top. The earrings are just icing on the cake!

Of course, that's not all of them. Make sure to check out the rest of the laughably bad sweaters!

Art, punk and some pain for Batman

Now that Black Friday has come and gone, everyone should have that need to hit the stores and shop like crazy out of their system. So replace it with a need to hit up all these events and party like madmen. It's a similar experience, but at least you won't be fighting with 60-year-old woman over the last Elmo Live.

We :::heart::: art

The art scene has definitely been on the upswing this year with a lot of groups trying to make art galleries the place to be. For the most part, they've succeeded and made an art showing a viable alternative to another night at an Ybor City bar. Virgin 2.0 at the Ritz on Saturday (12/6) could be the biggest one yet. With the typical indie artists from around the Bay present, there will also be a fashion show, a performance by the odd, but entertaining, Jeremy Gloff and a rhythmic yoga demonstration. It's got a mix of all the eccentricity that makes Tampa Bay so unique. It definitely could be the best art event of the year (I'll save my judgment on that for after) and you can assume the this will be scenester central, so make sure your clothes are hip and chic.

Three words: Live break dancing

Over on the Pinellas side, the Artist's Invasion is at Williams Park on Friday (12/5). I imagine that Williams Park will be completely over run with new Bohemians while this festival takes place. A variety of different bands with totally different styles will be there, including the Jim Morey Band, Extinction of Man and Tribal Style. Also, there will be live break dancing. I don't think that there's anything more retro-hip than break dancing (I tried to learn when I was a kid and ended up looking like I was having seizures). This is a definite catch-all event with something that will please anyone who shows up. With Virgin 2.0 you get to enjoy two great art shows this weekend if you choose to go out!

The horror!

Break out your black eyeliner and skull patches because the Misfits are in town at Jannus Landing on Friday (12/5). While they're no longer the huge sensation they once were, they're still a decent show to catch, especially if you've never seen them live before. They exist as one of those bands that you should see before you die just because of their phenomenal impact that they had on underground music culture as a whole. A lot of the bands that exist today, like Wednesday 13, Murderdolls and Rob Zombie, wouldn't be the sensation that are without the influence of the Misfits. Admittedly, they no longer have my personal favorite member (Glen Danzig holds a special place in my heart) but they're still a good reason to be break out the torn clothing and get into the pit. Bonus game: Whoever counts the most Misfits skull tattoos wins a prize.

Rip it up at Reconstruct

If you've got the fashion design bug in your system, it's time for you to try and strut your stuff. Reconstruct at the Tamiami on Saturday (12/6) is all about taking your old clothes and putting them back together in a unique way. Use your imagination and you could possibly walk away with some sort of prize for doing a good job. There aren't any rules except you just need to be creative with those old T-shirts and put them together into something wearable so let your inner artist out and create something chic.

Batman's big bash

Rounding out the weekend events are the monthly First Friday in St. Pete. With the Artist's invasion going on at the same time, it'll be easy to walk back and forth between the two if you need a break from either one. Finally, if you can't get enough of Ybor's own controversial caped crusader, Tampa Bay's Batman will be having his birthday party at the Castle on Saturday (12/6) so you can go and wish him well. If you've had enough of him you'll still get the option entering the raffle to be one of the lucky 22 people who get to paddle him for his birthday. Remember to follow through on your swing.

A night in Soviet Russia

Amber Wilson played double agent for those smart enough to give her the code phrase.

It's hip to be Communist. Furry hats, wool fatigues and red stars are in style right now. Czar in Ybor City has latched on to that vibe and run with it for five years now but it wasn't until Wednesday night (11/26) that they put it all together for their 5-year anniversary party. This wasn't just a Russian theme going on but rather a whole redesign of what Czar is and can be starting right at getting in the door.

A patron waits patiently and salutes as she enters into the Cyberia Lounge area.

Spread through different channels including text messages and e-mail were secret code words to get in the club with discounts or free admission. "Vladimir" was the base code that got you in (They pretty much nixed the use of that one so people could get in). The phrase "The Babushka runs a spa in Chernobyl" got you in at half price while "The spa in Chernobyl is brothel, my friend" got you in for free. All this underground advertising and the promise of a free alcohol area meant the club to be filled with people less than an hour after opening.

This doesn't look any thing like me...

Of course this only got you into the Cyberia lounge area. From there, patrons would have to talk to the bartenders to retrieve their passports in order to journey over the Imperial Ballroom area. As silly as it sounds, the security (all cleverly dressed up as Russian soldiers) enforced the need for the passports and stamps much to the dismay of the few who were too drunk to go along with the gag.

DJ Sirius took a break and guarded the outside path to Imperial Theater

Taking a short journey outside and through back hallways not usually open the public, the visitors to Czar's Russian recreation would finally stumble upon the main dance area. The quest didn't end there because there was still that promise of that hidden room of free vodka. After speaking to the DJ to get your stamp to get some food (plus a free drink!), people were told to find a double agent to get papers to access the interrogation room. It's not quite as easy as it sounds though for a couple reasons:

1. Anyone on staff could be a double agent and they were constantly moving about.
2. Before you found the double agent, you needed to find out the code to tell the double agent.
3. They switched up who played the double agent throughout the night.

If this sounds intense to you, let me assure you that it was. The point was to get people talking though and it did it's job. I got so many people approaching me thinking I was the double agent simply because I had a camera around my neck.

A good interrogator always has duct tape, a flashlight and a bullwhip.

Those few wily enough to get papers were finally treated to the interrogation room and V.I.P. area. Yes, you'd actually be interrogated first. To make it even more fun, live video of the interrogation was broadcast to the Cyberia Lounge for other bar-goers to watch. The reward was worth it though, with a small private lounge complete with it's own DJ and pour-your-own drinks for free.

The raid went on the VIP and Jimmy Sellers forced Dj Sirius to take a break from mixing in the VIP room.

Of course, they couldn't have people just sitting in this room all night, so the security came by periodically and "raided" the room, kicking everyone out and ripping up their papers. This got a lot of people upset but I didn't see any of them leave Czar, but rather they went searching for the new double agent to get new papers.

I've never seen this much work go into an anniversary party for a club. Normally, its just some drink specials and some tacky decorations. Czar went all out and I've got to hand it to Sandy Heim and the workers there for putting on one of the best and unique parties that Ybor has ever seen. Czar's version of the Motherland may not have been accurate or serious, but it was entertaining and one of my most memorable experiences of going out to date.

Shiver me timbers! Not out in the cold.

St. Petersburg Times photo

Cold weather got you down? Don't let it! It's supposed to warm up by this weekend and not a moment too soon. Going out partying is just like sleep because you'll never be able to make up lost time!

Walk this festival, not the plank

If you have dreams of sailing the open seas with only a parrot and a large bottle of rum for company, stop by the Florida Pirate Festival at Vinoy Park Friday (11/21) through Sunday (11/23). Even though pirates are the obvious Tampa Bay norm for festivals, it's still fun to go out with an eye-patch and hook for a hand. It's supposed to have a family friendly area but you know there will be enough saucy wenches and scurvy dogs to satisfy the adult crowds as well. So study up on your pirate lingo and don't come dressed as a ninja. I hear pirates hate those guys.

Sound familiar?

It's just a shame not many people on this side of the pond got a chance to the Beatles in concert. On Friday (11/21), Cheap Trick will be performing the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in its entirety at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Given the style of their normal music, it should be interesting to hear their interpretation of it. Then on Saturday (11/22), four local bands will each play one side each of the White Album for a tribute called the White Album Recreation at Skipper's. Here's hoping Rebekah Pulley gets to do Happiness is a Warm Gun.

Drink up, help the kids

If you like alcohol but not the idea of dealing with numerous impressions of Captain Jack Sparrow then trade out the rum for some vodka and hit up the Ritz on Friday(11/21) for the Vodka Fest. Don't be showing up in blue jeans and sneakers to this one, either. This isn't a t-shirt and jeans kind of festival though, it's an upscale fundraiser with dozens of the finest spirits for sampling. It's a bit more expensive too, but proceeds benefit the Sky Ranch Foundation for troubled children. Those children need you to go and sample all that alcohol. Do you really want to let them down?

Sounds more fun in summer

Those of us who are inherently lazy (pretty much all of us), we now have an event that caters to us. It's Chillounge in Straub Park on Saturday (11/22) and all it involves is relaxing on some outdoor furniture and sipping a few cocktails. The goal is to transform the park into a giant open-air lounge. Plus there's a fashion show going with it as well as some sweet jazz music to keep your feet tapping. You'll be plenty comfortable though.

Wear that style out

Take a look in your wardrobe right now. Would you describe your clothing as hip? Didn't think so, so make sure to hit up Pale Horse Saturday (11/22) for the Back in Black T-shirt show. These aren't just normal T-shirts as each one is a limited edition style that'll be fairly unique to you. Pale Horse has become a mecca of sorts for the graphic artists in St. Petersburg so it's a great place to come and hang with hippest of the hip. Plus, each T-Shirt is only $15 you can grab some stylish threads and not empty out your bank account. No worries about them falling apart either.

Some artistic skating and freaky fandom

How I came out of this weekend with no major injuries is beyond me. I managed to avoid getting maimed by skateboarders on half-pipes and people carrying giant wrenches and ray guns. Alright, the ray guns weren't real but the wrenches looked like they'd hurt!

The Hubbard Brothers set up the Art Gone Bad show and gave themselves their own personal form of censorship. Contrary to what I originally thought, Art Gone Bad wasn't meant to be low-brow art but more underground art from people who wouldn't have a chance to exhibit anywhere else. It's pretty good stuff and might be worth getting into if you're an artist.

Of course while the art was going on, the rest of the skate park was open and had a huge amount of bikers and skateboarders showing off their moves. Here, Chris Lehman shows a Backside Boneless to Fakie. I got to hand it to these guys since I can barely walk down the street without tripping over my shoelaces.

Of course, This was also the weekend of Necronomicon, which featured a steam punk theme this year so people dressed in futuristic Victorian outfits were the norm and the common form of transportation was the jet pack (if only we had those instead of segways)

James Harrod went with a historical approach and that makes it all the more creepy. As he was dressed as a plague doctor and couldn't speak, all his information was given to me by an assistant. This one truly gave me the willies. Especially, those metal-clipped hands.

Giant wrenches were the norm the show. Some more real and some more fake. Wendy Peacock was dressed up as mechanic so it was an obvious addition to her costume. Something about a girl with a gigantic wrench that could be used on no human known bolt is just amazingly sexy.

These guys went all out. Part of a group called Ancient Cities Steampunk, they were some of the best dressed at the show. What's even better is that they had theme as they were apparently a group of vigilante heroes keeping the skies safe from dreaded air pirates. Knowing they're around, I can sleep easy.

Ancient Cities Steampunk may have been the best dressed but Patrick Creel was my favorite. Ghostbusters always hits a soft spot with me and when you have an outfit this great, I feel like a kid again. The proton pack even played the theme song! Apparently, he's a part of group of local Ghostbusters too. I knew that Tampa Bay was an epicenter of paranormal activity!

Sabre McGehee and Les Strawn both had some cool Joker outfits and it was nice to see Sabre giving Cesar Romero some love. What wasn't nice was the fact that I felt for the hand buzzer trick as I shook his hand. As they both laughed maniacally at me, I hung my head in shame and wondered where my dark knight was to save me from this crazy clown menace?

Make sure to check out all the rest of the pictures from Art Gone Bad and Necronomicon!

A messy beginning to October

I love October. It seems like it's the month with the most crazy activities going down in the bay area, and most of them are full of people dressed in outrageous costumes. This weekend I got to see that and more -- as well as get drenched in buckets of slime. Good times! (Okay, boss, can I get hazard pay now?)

I started out Friday (10/3) at First Friday to check out some of the people going to both Against Me! and Apocalyptica, along with some sports fans who came downtown after the Rays game. Here's what struck me as I ambled down Central Avenue with my camera.

I saw uncountable mohawks in St. Pete on Friday, including one on Dan Eckrote. Given the popularity of the newly christened official Rays hairstyle, it won't be long before you see Tampa Bay lawyers and doctors sporting it. As it is, it's gotten popular enough that my 70-plus-year-old grandpa is talking about getting one -- even though he's got the horseshoe pattern baldness. Imagine a mohawk, but just in the back.

Probably the strangest thing I saw on Friday was Sparkle Genera and her roller skates. It's not often you get to to see a woman holding a beer with roller skates draped over her shoulder (careful with that glass, sister!). Take that back: It's not often to see outside of a Derby Darlin's match or Czar's Crisco Roller Disco. Love the pink wheels, though!

After the game, the streets were full of people celebrating after the Rays victory. I caught Kristy Westphal and Brett Hughes making that long trek from the Trop over to the Central Avenue drinking area to continue their throwdown.

***

I won't lie. I was nervous about going to see Gwar at Jannus Landing on Saturday (10/4) with a camera around my neck. If you don't know, they're known for hosing the audience down with slime, so I devised a way to protect my camera with lots of Saran wrap and electrical tape. Thankfully, it worked. So, while I came out dripping with ooze, my camera remained safe and secure so I could show you these pictures.

Andrew Smokler came prepared. He wanted to get slimed but didn't want it in his eyes. He was a very smart man, and Gator Guard security guy Kevin Moore gave him a thumbs up for it. Meanwhile, I cursed him because I hadn't thought of that.

Claire Sayetta, Rachel Koch and Tim Adger proudly show off their clothing that looks like it got doused in Kool-Aid. It's part of a tradition to wear white clothing to a Gwar show to mark how many times you get hit. Doesn't work so well on a black T-shirt, but I can still see some color stains on it from the night's festivities.

This is just one of the many ways the band soaked the audience with goo. There were also decapitations of political figures with enough arterial spray to give Japanese horror movies a run for their money. This cannon is the prime reason I got messed up; I got hit, not once, but twice in face with it. All in all, though, it was a messy good time. I can see why people like to get hit with the slime. Considering the heat and sweaty masses of people, the cool goo was refreshing.

Yes, even Batman was there (albeit sans Robin). If you see him at any more events around the bay, make sure to let us here at So Tampa Bay know. We're trying to keep a watch on his activities, and his presence at Gwar made things all the more curious. His suit must have some sort of slime repellent as he was the cleanest person who exited the concert that night.

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from the First Friday madness and the wet and sticky Gwar show!

Silver and gold, but no medals for these two

Let's be honest. There are no guys who can pull off wearing shiny pants and look good (with the notable exception of David Bowie, below). I'm afraid that this style, as sported by Marco (left) and Robert Perez last night (9/4) at the Castle, just isn't working for me.

I can't even begin to comment on the atrocities that are trying to pass as shirts. Seriously, shoulder pads? Is this the first sign of a new wave of Kentucky Derby-inspired fashion?

Instead, let's focus on the pants. Here we have sequins that look like they were ripped off the dress that my great-grandma wears to go ballroom dancing and wrapping-paper-shiny gold pants that even MC Hammer would (hopefully) refuse to wear.

I could give them some slack if this was another new crazy trend that would fade out in a couple months but the fact is it already died nearly 20 years ago! Even Duran Duran learned to tone it down a bit. I'm not saying that they need to wear only neutral colors and blend into the crowd, but something that doesn't remind me of the worst R.E.M. song in history would be nice.

Even the photo looks terrible because I had to tone down my flash so it wouldn't reflect back off their legs and burn my retinas.