Club hoppin', March 16

Alex Neth, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, March 16, 2007

Kity Ironton and Chris Bacorn

The owners of hep boutiques Soul Haus and Pandora Jewelry aren't the kind to sigh at a closed window while the world passes by — in fact, if an alternative circus, roller-derby match or good ol' punk-rock show passes through town and they aren't there, something's very wrong. What follows are, amazingly, a few of their typical days off.

• What did you do last weekend? The land of Pandora Jewelry is always full of shimmering baubles, butterflies and furry li'l garden gnomes, but there are days when the staff needs a good ol' beer blitz, and the bar of choice last weekend was Bender's Tavern, at 314 E. 13th Ave. Bender's always has its fair share of grit, but Friday night's crew was a bit more motley as Deadbolt — the self-proclaimed "scariest band in the world" — grinded away their voodoo truckerbilly onstage. Revved-up and rowdy, we grabbed the remnants of our suffering staff the next night to partake in a little blood thirst at the opening weekend of the movie 300.

• What's up next? Chris is packing for that colossal rockfest South by Southwest, in Austin, Texas, where he hopes to catch headlining acts like Turbo Negro, The Stooges, Buck 65 and Thomas Dolby. He fully intends to expertly navigate the may-as-well-be-a-billion band venue schedule to catch a little local love down there with DJ Sara T, Munly and Hot IQs, who are representin' D-Town in the Lone Star State. As soon as his feet are back on normal soil, we're taking my mother out on her birthday to experience the Demented Divas, presented by La Cage Aux Fowl at the beautifully decadent Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret.

Michelle Baldwin, aka Vivienne VaVoom

Baldwin, founder of the Burlesque as It Was troupe, might be Denver's busiest human - when she's not performing, writing books (Burlesque and the New Bump-N-Grind), appearing on television (Trading Spaces) or teaching newbies the art of the tassel flip, she's increasing Denver's ambient level of cool simply by leaving the house. Visit her at www.myspace.com/viviennevavoom and www.burlesqueasitwas.com.

• What did you do last weekend? After shouting myself hoarse at the Denver Roller Dolls' bout at the Denver Coliseum - where I was handing out programs dressed like a 1940s stewardess - I headed over to the Walnut Room, still in my flight garb, just in time to catch Nick Urata from Devotchka crooning his way through a heartbreaking solo set. I spent a lot of time showing off my fake-stewardess skills, pointing with two fingers and demonstrating how to secure an oxygen mask to the fabulous gathering of the city's finest - kickballers, scooterists, DJs, band kids and general movers and shakers of the hip scene. Visual overstimulation was the theme Saturday night when I headed out of my comfort zone (Denver city limits) to hit the D-Note in Old Town Arvada. New Ancient Astronauts provided a jazz/space-rock soundtrack for Matt Kirk's live painting of a giant hand holding the universe in a marble and a projected loop of bizarre 1970s commercials.

• What's up next? Tonight and Saturday night I'll be dancing on a giant Guinness glass in pasties and a G-string down at Lannie's for the Burlesque as It Was "Get Lucky" show. I'm hoping that Saturday, after riding my Vespa in the St. Patty's Parade, celebrating Corn Dog Day with my fellow scooterists and drunkedly step-dancing to at least one of the many Potcheen Folk band appearances, I'll be able to sober up enough for the Saturday-night show . . .

drink up!

Casey Radcliff bartends at RockBar, 3015 E. Colfax Ave. If you drop by, don't expect to be served some exotic, veggie-laden cocktail with a name ending in -tini. To the contrary, the establishment prides itself on being a shot-and-beer joint for the hip crowd. So what's Casey's specialty? How about a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon? (Nothing finer in the land, in our eyes, and besides, the stuff did win a Blue Ribbon at the 1893 Columbian Expo in Chicago.) Casey's clientele runs the Denver drinkin' gamut from "hipsters to 9-5ers to skateboarders and punk rockers." For $2, these varied folks get:

• 12 ounces of Pabst Blue Ribbon

• an aluminum can

hey, dj . . .

Rave-scene veteran DJ Evenflo is a resident DJ, promoter and dancer(!) for the Cyber Fetish Dolls and spins "dirty electro house mixed with breaks and techno, as well as drum & bass." Right now, these are her three favorite tracks. Hear her spin in person March 30 at Club Vinyl in a tag- team set with DJ Ishe. Take a peek at the rest of her schedule - and some of her self- designed costumes - at www.myspace. com/evenflo and www. cyberfetishdolls.com.

• Richard Dinsdale & Mark Knight - Crunch

Because it's dirty, dirty, dirty!

• Roman Salzger - Lollipop Machine

This one is just crazy, superhard, reminds me of a warehouse.

• Tube & Berger - Together Now (tocadisco remix)

This remix has this killer bounce to it, makes it fun to dance to.