Milk: Summer Underground

Ari of Milk: Summer Underground, Cincinnati's weekly party that focuses on the music rather than the party, has been asking me to say something about the even since it began, and, though I started off posting announcements, I have done little else to support it. I went tonight, the first time all summer I've had a chance to, and had a great time.

Milk has had a bit of drama in the last few weeks. It moved its location from Below Zero to Little Bit, and I was sure that it would die. However, word had it that last week's event was huge and made for a packed house at Little Bit's. Once upon a time, Little Bit's was one of my favorite bars in the world, though I have not had the opportunity to enjoy as much as I should have, though it's the only LGBTQ bar I could feasibly walk home from. And it is the only LGBTQ bar left in Clifton -- sigh.

I will say this: for everything else I might criticize, Ari plays some great music. It's an unexpected break from the usual. Jazz, a little bit of pop, some hip-hop. It's both unexpected and delicious. In the two hours I spent there, I heard everything from Billie Holliday to Madonna... and who couldn't appreciate that kind of diversity? The crowd was distinctly smaller than the

week before. but still busy. I didn't see Irene -- one of the three owners and recently returned to the bar full time (a fact I am very grateful for) -- stop moving behind the bar except for a few brief moments the entire time I was there. A handful of cute gay boys even made an appearance, as well as some of the cast of Cincinnati Opera's Carmen.

The only true complaint is that the music, for the size of the crowd, was too loud. However, had there been more people, it would have been the perfect volume.

Milk: Summer Underground occurs every Thursday night at Little Bit's Bar on Vine Street.

Guerrilla Queer Bar: Spreading the Love

Cincinnati's Guerrilla Queer Bar has announced its new location for this Friday, from their Facebook:

Did you go to the last Guerrilla Queer Bar? Did you love it? Do you want another chance to be around all those cute and fun queers? Or did you, by some horrible twist of fate, miss the last Guerrilla Queer Bar (*gasp*)?

Have no fear! GQB "Spreading the Love" is here!

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Every THIRD FRIDAY, the folks that bring you GQB put on another raucous night of fun at an under-utilized QUEER bar in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky.

"Why a queer bar? I thought GQB was about taking over straight bars", you might ask. "Spreading the Love" is about spreading our dollars and queer-love around the queer community while also getting a chance to know our fellow CGQB-ers a little more intimately. Don't worry, we'll still be exploring currently straight and narrow bars every first Friday of the month.

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and the CGQB "Spreading the Love" event will be THIS FRIDAY at the....

(drum roll please...)

LITTLE BIT BAR -- 2401 Vine Street (near McMillian on Vine)

If you've never been to this bar, what GLORY you've been missing! No cover. Two for one domestics and well drinks before 10 pm. A beer WHEEL (think wheel of fortune) that gives you whatever beer you land on for $2 and a shot wheel that does the same but for $2.50.

**There will also be an extremely special, exciting, and sexy Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar game going on that you DO NOT want to miss.**

Get all your friends together, invite people to join the facebook group, and come out to the LITTLE BIT BAR on Friday night.

I'll probably check it out -- it is right down the street from my apartment.

I owe a lot of blog space to a lot of people right now, so I apologize to all those people. I promise it will be coming soon!!!!

CINCY GAY SCENE: Pride Planning Committee Meeting

I attended the (X) meeting of the 2009 Cincinnati Pride Commitee Meeting last night at Little Bits Bar in Clifton Heights. This was the first time I had actually been to a meeting hosted by "his eminence," Joe Penno.

I was moderately impressed. Moderately.

Structurally, Pride itself is not changing, it seems this year, except for minor adjustments (the Saturday Festival, for example, changing times to start and end earlier, for example) and a few additions (including an attempt to get real entertainment and possible 'Party Bus' to appease the ever problem of the whining of downtown bars). However, things are far more organized this time around than they were at this point at any of the meetings I ever attended over the now deposed queen of the Center and all Pride -- wait, that was only her self-styled title. For that, I applaud the new (and large) organizing committee, though I wonder about how many of those people stick around for May -- myself included. I seem to remember that I bolted from Cincinnati the day of the Parade last year.

Joe also seems to be consolidating the organization and adding some well needed energy to the planning process -- thank the goddess.

Unfortunately, my own primary complaint seems to be so ingrained in the structure that I wonder if it will ever be possible to break: why the hell do we still have the Parade on Sunday? The Parade should be on Saturday and the Drag Races on Sunday. But that's neither here nor there and representative of a more systemic issue. (And one that's too late to change, at this point, but I do like to complain as much as possible.) There is an addition of a logo contest to go along with the, regrettable, theme this year of Squealin' with Pride 2009. It's like they went to the Serpent one evening and asked every coked out bottom what would be a good theme.

Regardless, I maintain two complaints: one, with a few exceptions, the organization is dominated by well-off early to middle-middle age white men with more money and connections than they know what to do with. And, the second complaint, they do a lot of sitting around wondering (and I quote) how to get the "younger folks" out. Geez.

Not saying I know how, but I can be sure that referring to them as "younger folks" over and over again is probably not the best set up for an impressive turnout :-).

My own bitchiness aside, I'll keep going and I'll keep reporting. But I leave you with three questions:

1) What would you like to see at Cincinnati Pride that you've never seen before?
2) Who would you like to see at Cincinnati Pride as a performer? (the dream list included people like Margaret Cho and Kristine W. . . I'll be interested to see what they can pull off)
3) Since most of my readers are "younger folks," what would bring you and everyone you know to Pride in Cincinnati this year?
4) Why is anyone still pretending like the Greater Cincinnati GLBT News is read by this target audience? I liked how their promotional ideas were keyed around two things: Michael X. Chanak's massive email list and the GLBT News. I'm sure there are no other ways that gay people in Cincinnati get their news or information... I'm sure I don't know of any. God I miss Sam and Q-City.

Oh, and a spoiler: Cheryl Eagleson and John Maddox have been tapped as the Grand Marshalls. I don't think that was confidential information, I'll see what kind of response I get.

Next Meeting: November 18th, 7pm @ The Metropolitan Community Church in Northside. Mistress Cody, my dear vlogger, I may ask that you attend with.

PS Also met a cute boy last night ... but there are some things to... consider first.

CINCY GAY SCENE: Bar Closings

It's sad to say...

The Ohio Smoking Ban may have claimed its first victim. My dear, dear, favorite lesbian bar in the world, Bullfishes, is, indeed, closed. Donna was a dear friend and used to be my landlord. It is sad to see it go. What makes it even worse was the suddenness of it. No one knew it was happening, she let it go peacefully without a goodbye party.

I spent many Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights there. Rarely there on Fridays or Saturdays, but I will give it up for that fabulous Pink Dress Show back in February that raised $750 for Breast Cancer charities.

*sigh* It's sad to see you go, Bullfishes.

Also, per the QCityNews blog (http://qcitynews.blogspot.com/2007/11/northside-gay-and-lesbian-bars-for-sale.html), it appears another one of my favorite hangouts is for sale, the Serpent. Listing price at a million dollars. Now, I've had an AWFULLY good time at the Serpent, and I really hope it will be around at LEAST for their fabulous New Year's Eve clothing optional party, but I don't think (nor does QCity) that it is work $1m, even with the rentable space upstairs. The $200,000 price sounds reasonable, but Anthony and Ford have put years and years and years of their life into that business, I'm sure there is a huge personal attachment to it. I'm almost afraid that, should the business change hands, the cops will raid the place like crazy and close down what every one goes on at Serpent for good... which, btw, would ultimately destroy the business and destroy the Northside gay scene.

Where does that leave BronZ? Or, Club BronZ (I really do need to clean up my "labels")? Well, reported to my ear from one of the best bartenders in town -- a slight uptick in business. Of course, I'm sure much of that is due to the fabulously sociable attitude Brad and John have put out there, along with the fantastic work of DJ Waves in the production of the multiple karaoke nights. It doesn't hurt, also, that it's one of the few bars in town where you can sit at a bar and have a cigarette, there on the back patio. (The owner of Little Bit Bar was scathing in her attack of their patio, as it is really kind of enclosed, but open still. Please, let us just have one place to smoke and drink. You non-smokers have enough places in town.)

See, everyone is driving across the river. I have been in Rosie's and Yadda a few times, but they have been jumping since the smoking ban occurred over here. It really annoys me that the rest of the state, and the locals, can be so callous towards local business. After all, what Cincinnati really needs, is another reason not to hang out in it.

Has anyone wondered how long this Dock/Adonis thing can go one? Rumors are flying as to which one will go first. My money, actually, is on Adonis. I think they would have been long gone had it not been for Penny Tration and her amazing abilities as the most fabulous queen in town. Of course, I would not have put money on Bella Dolce, but she seems to be holding her own. I always liked her personally, I would have never thought she could handle that big of a venue, but she's proven herself quite well on a microphone.

And finally, Below Zero? Seriously. I don't understand the crowd. Do we need two uppity gay bars in town? Universal Grille is bad enough; I've not even been to Below Zero and I already hate it. :-) But I'll go soon, Nigel, and give you a fairer review, I promise.

FAGWATCH: Part 2

I was called a fag again!!!

Again, by a lesbian.

There's this girl at this bar who once came up behind me at that bar (ok, Little Bit Bar... we'll call it LBB) and slapped me upside the head REALLY HARD and said "Hey!!!" I got upset and she tried to make amends for months and months and we then had this pretty laid back and tense friendship.

So LM and I went to LBB on Saturday night to see whether or not we would enjoy the crowd. I saw this girl, and we were chatting, and then, suddenly she slaps me up side the head. I hit her back, she jumps out of her chair, puts me in a head lock and calls me a fag. Someone finally pulls her off of me, and she sits down muttering "faggot" over and over and over again.

She claims that I hit her first, but no one around me saw me strike.

Who knows? Anyways, another reason FAG should be out of my vocabulary, because lesbians think it's cool to dis gay men.