Wednesday night pick – Gary Floyd tonight @ Bill’s Hideaway

Yep, that’s what his Facebook said as of four hours ago. And in that small crowded venue known as Bill’s Hideaway, that might be the most intimate many of you can get with Mr. Gary Floyd (not this guy). And thankfully he has a silky smooth voice to go with that not-too-shabby mug. But he probably gets that ALL the time.

By the way, can someone tell Bill of Bill’s Hideaway to PLEASE get a Web site? MySpace at least? Facebook could work. Something!

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Weekend Picks of Mint – Inauguration edition

This weekend you have LOTS of options for fab fun. So we’ll cut right to the chase.

Tonight, head north to Denton to catch the best black lesbian rap duo of all time – if not the only one – Yo! Majesty at Hailey’s. Forget Lady Gaga and Britney, these chicks’ tunes are hot and would melt your feet on the dance floor. Especially their song “Kryptonite Pu$$y”. Check Yo! Majesty’s “Club Action” below to get a hint. Although we’re not TOTALLY happy they didn’t get our interview questions back in time before tonight. Grrr. Natalie Stewart and The Floacist open.

Saturday night is all over the place.You got the Hell on Heels tour stopping at Sue Ellen’s which we mentioned here. Then you got the Big D Bear Dance Party which we also mentioned. And the always reliable and fun Gay Bingo is this weekend too. January’s theme will be Emerald City. We guess you should be dressing up like you’re going to Oz.Why we can’t find a flyer for this, we’ll never know.

Sunday, you can also stop at Sue Ellen’s to catch up on your football as we hit the road running to the Super Bowl.And then stick around for the L Word season premiere!

And Tuesday, you’ll watch our new president sworn in to usher in a new day.

Whoowee! Did we miss anything? If so, please fill us in!

Happy Minting!

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Weekend Picks of Mint – Guerilla Gay Bar tonight

It’s 4 a.m. We don’t have all your picks just yet. We’re just wondering why we’re blogging instead of sleeping! But part of your weekend better include tonight’s Guerilla Gay Bar. Their first one of the year hits the Lizard Lounge so you can party it up like a club kid.

Here’s the word from the GGB gang:

Well boys and girls, the first Guerilla Gay Bar takeover in 2009 will be at The Lizard Lounge. 2424 Swiss Avenue at Good Latimer. There is no cover between 9PM and 10PM. If you print the flyer on their website , you can get in between 10 and 11PM for $5. Otherwise, it’s $10. The club is open until 4AM.

Don't worry, girls go too.

It is supposed to be unseasonably warm, so they may even have the rooftop deck open. Not sure. Free parking and valet service is available (unsure of the cost of valet). For up-to-date info, call the club at 214-826-4769.

This is only our second jaunt into the “club scene” of Dallas, so we will be a very different crowd for them in more ways than one.* So, remember our motto. “It’s not WHERE you go, sweetie…it’s who you go with!” and enjoy the takeover!

We will be gearing up for the inauguration by dabbing into politics a bit. Break out those politically-incorrect T-shirts that you just can’t wear anywhere else because they’re just WRONG.

Last month was very well attended, so show up on time and AVOID STANDING IN LINE. We’re getting to be kind of a big deal.

*Note: The takeover will start at 9:00 PM*

Hope to see you all there!!

Cheers Queers

*This kind of cracks me up. Perhaps they don’t know how “different” Lizard Lounge is from all the other places around town. And in a good way. I just think it might just be a bit the other way around.

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Weekend Picks of Mint – The D@mn I Be Tired edition

Man, there is lots going on. Arts, music, blah and blah. Where to begin?

How about America’s Best DJ? Dubbed that by DJ Times, DJ Christopher Lawrence hits Dallas this weekend over at the Lizard Lounge. Full Access is putting on the show and is offering you a chance for a free round of drinks. Read the flyer. This might be a good time to take all the friends should you win. You’ll be totally popular for the night.

Our fab activist buddies, Join The Impact is hosting a movie night this week over at the Angelika. Saturday night they invite you to join them in watching Milk starring Sean Penn in a most likely Oscar nominated performance. Get to the theater on time as they catch the 5:15 showing tomorrow. The Angelika is located at Mockingbird Station, 5321 Mockingbird @ the NE corner of Central and Mockingbird.

If you can’t make that and end up laying low, might I recommend the documentary The  Times of Harvey Milk. In a one word review – fascinating. Totally worth the time to check it out. Perhaps Tapelenders or Premiere Video or Movie Trading Company will have it. Plus, it should probably be required viewing for all GLBT peeps.

The always reliable Buddies II will be hosting quite the holiday weekend. Tonight will be A Twisted Christmas with the Dukes of Dallas. I’m a little skeerd of what that could entail because those dukes can be pretty twisted. The show starts @ 10:30 p.m. And then tomorrow is their Dance Party Night. Buddies II sports one of the best dance floors and sound systems in the city so get your dancing shoes on and head there Saturday.

Of course, you know about tonight’s Guerilla Gay Bar.

Tonight is also Space Rampage over at Hal Samples’ studio in Deep Ellum. His one night only event with cheap art, good food and drinky drink. Plus, it’s Samples’ last party for the year and it looks like he’s going out of 08 with some bang. Not only all of the above will be on hand for party attenders, he’ll also have special musical act, reggae/jazz/dubmaster Aton. He says tonight will be “A VARIETY OF LIVE MUSIC,VISUAL ART, PERFORMANCE ART, VIDEO, AND LOVE TAKING PLACE… all in the same SPACE.” Totally check it.

Also tonight (whew!) is local band The Bright over at Sue Ellen’s. Booking director Jennifer snagged a star of a band shaking up the usual lineup a bit. The Bright is on the up and up. Why? Oh, perhaps because a tune of theirs may have been featured on The Hills. OK, whether they blow up because of that is uncertain but by no means does it hurt their chances. Bravo to Sue Ellen’s.

Tomorrow, you art lovers should not miss Art Conspiracy4 by any means. Local art, local music, fab times can never miss. Now you’ll just have to break out the Mapsco to find it. It starts tomorrow night at 6:30 and boasts 2 DJs, three bands and 150 friggin’ artists. Plus, art auctions begin at a mere $20. Bam! Ten bucks to get in and cash needed for refreshies but bust that plastic out as you snag your new piece of art. Find ArtCon 4 at 3011 Gulden St. in West Dallas.

And finally (we promise), the Turtle Creek Chorale has their annual Christmas concert which should never be missed. Ooops, HOLIDAY concert – my bad, whatev. Me personally is a little miffed that I’ll be missing the show for the first time in ten years. But no doubt the show will go on and greatly I predict. Four performances only and two are on Sunday. Check out Hottest Holidays Ahead by getting your tickets here. And don’t forget to take a toy for their annual drive benefitting Children’s and Parkland Hospitals. Now doesn’t that just make you feel fuzzy and kind? And what a better way to end the weekend?

But Monday’s probably going to be a b*&(@!

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Picks of Mint – Protest Edition

OK, there are a few things to hit up this weekend both here and in New York. And prolly a couple of other places as well.

Of course, tomorrow night is Secret Agent Gay Bingo over at the Rose Room. We should be there. Especially to see cutie reporter Steve Noviello host the evening with Fox 4 colleague Megan Henderson, co-host of Good Day. I just hope they don’t get a Jim Walker pulled on them. Plus, Secret Agent Gay Bingo so gets us in the mood for the new James Bond movie coming out today. If you haven’t already, get your tickets here or just pay at the door.

Also on Saturday there’s a little small thing called the Prop 8 Protest going on tomorrow @ City Hall. Told you a bit about it here. And if you want the protesting to continue. a second protest @ First Baptist Dallas will be held on Sunday at 10 a.m. Check it:

On the lighter side and for some of you, more importantly, tonight over @ Mickey’s it will be Madonna-rama with Madge music playing all night and ticket giveaways to her show in Houston. Get into the groove to win the hottest ticket in town. Or in H-Town at least.

Tomorrow night the Lollipop Shoppe presents their Quinn-Tessential Mod party at the Quinn Bar over in Oak Cliff. The Lollipops are always fun and smashing. And this time, it’s no cover. NO! COVER! Even if it’s just for a few minutes, you have to experience the sheer delight of a Shoppe Party. Plus, DJ Captain Groovy will be giving away CDs. They are an aural adventure to behold.

Whew! And that’s probably not even the half of what’s going on this weekend. But that might put you over. Happy protesting!

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Picks of Mint – Go Girls Fest today @ Opening Bell

Oy! We try to keep banker’s hours here at the Mint but sometimes we just forget to get other stuff up or just get bummed by other posts.

Today, all day, is the Go Girls Fest over at Opening Bell coffee. Perhaps one of the best mini-festivals in town and so worth the pocket change to get in, the Fest features a line-up of some of the best female artists in town including a couple of our faves, Jevette and Bandmates. With an inspiring lineup of local artists, the fest takes you from afternoon to midnight. But if you get tired, don’t you worry, there’s some coffee pretty handy to keep you going. Jittery eyes going even.

If you get there pretty early, as in, be one of the first 100, you’re going to walk away with a free CD as well. So five bucks for some 11 bands and artists AND a free CD? OK, yeah, this is totally your place to be. A

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Picks of Mint – State Fair edition

OK, with one weekend day out of the way, your options are slightly reduced but no less exciting. So, here are some ideas in planning your next few hours as well as tomorrow.

State Fair – it ends tomorrow. Go! Go now! But don’t check out the chicken-fried bacon. With some ranch it would have been perfect, otherwise, it’s not much more than a saltlick.

The ladies of Bandmates have graced the old Sue Ellen’s patio many times but tonight will be performing at the new Muddy Waters which has moved over to Live Oak and Carroll (which is my hood!) in east Dallas. A fun band with some rockin’ sweet chicks and a hunky drummer to boot.

Over at one of our favorites you can partake in your artistic good cause for the day. Buddies II will be hosting A Night for the Cause fundraiser tonight. That’s sort of a heavy title for this event but nonetheless it’s your chance to support local music. The fundraiser will help fund singer/songwriter Mishaele Richardson‘s new music video for her song, “Here Waiting”. It’s a weirdly haunting tune which has the darkness of those underground early 90s tunes with a touch of IAMX. Buddies II isn’t pulling punches on this one. The event will include a screening of the indie film The Dogwalker with local smokin’ sexy actress Diane Gaidry who will also be on hand for the night. Richardson will be performing as well as have a meet and greet.  So get your autograph now, help a sistah out with her musical dreams and have a drink for us! Tickets are $15. Go to Buddies II site for more information.

Tonight is also Ricki Derek’s Night-OH Cabaret at the Dallas Hub Theater in Deep Ellum which I hate to admit after mentioning above, is a MUST-SEE! it is a surreal comedy experience that goes all over the board. I wish I could find the words to give it justice but it’s so hard. Comedy, music, this, that…think Prairie Home Companion on psychedelic drugs. And at first you might even ask, “what is this?!”, I did, but after sticking around a bit longer, you can see the absolute genius of it all. It is the antithesis of everything prosaic and Ricki Derek is a local phenom. Really, he is. And I said so here. Tickets are $20 with an early and late show tonight.

And tonight, The Soda Gallery in the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff, opens their new show, All in a Day’s Work featuring the superhero artwork of Robb Conover as well as opens their new in-house comic book store Boomstick Comics. There’s a lot going on in that little place but it is so much peppy fun, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. Or maybe it’s just the unique sodas they also sell. I love me some of their root beers. The show runs until November 12 in case you don’t make it tonight at 7.

And as for Sunday…..well….getcher arse over to the State Fair. The weather’s perfect and it’s a way to stick it to the collapsing economy by overspending on corny dogs and funnel cakes. It’s worth it. Totally.

And that about does it for your weekend planning.

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GLAAD + Natl Gay & Lesbian Task Force = one bad mutha…

Not much music or entertainment news today folks. But we hope we got you settled for the weekend with stuff to do. On top of Gay Day at the Fair, Valiente’s Block Party in Oak Cliff and our outing on the strip, there is also tonight’s Barely Legal Girls show @ Buddies II and Youth First Texas’ Open Mic show to do. Whew, that’s a lot.

Now that that’s settled, I just got this piece of news before I head on outta here to get my weekend started. GLAAD and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have partnered up to do good as a superpower for the peeps. But since I’m getting antsy, I’m just gonna be lazy for this moment and paste below the notice. Besides, they are so much more eloquent than I…me…whatev.

GLAAD is proud to announce its partnership with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Academy for Leadership in Action at this year’s National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change. This year’s conference is taking place in the “mile high” city, Denver, Colorado, from January 28 through February 1, 2009. We cordially invite you to join us at the conference and to be a part of this incredibly exciting skill building and learning opportunity.

Creating Change is 21 years old this year, and it is still the largest and most diverse gathering of the LGBT movement. GLAAD is excited about bringing its media training expertise, along with its most seasoned trainers, to the Academy for Leadership and Action. GLAAD will contribute to a series of more than thirty courses offered through the Academy – all of which will provide an important opportunity to build the sustainability, leadership and skills of LGBT and allied activists and organizations.

“GLAAD is proud to partner with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force again this year and provide media advocacy workshops and skills-building opportunities for the movement,” said Rashad Robinson, Senior Director of Media Programs for GLAAD. “Creating Change is one of the most important annual events in the movement. It’s a time for us to celebrate our successes, evaluate our work and build our skills to continue moving forward.”

Please join us for this dynamic and visionary gathering of leaders and activists in Denver. Together we can continue to increase the vibrancy of the LGBT and allied movements by sharing our skills, knowledge and collective passion for social justice. You really don’t want to miss this!

OK, now, enjoy the weekend!

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Weekend Picks of Mint – Labor Day Edition

OK, so if you’re just gonna head out to the bars all weekend because it’s a three-day one, at least let us give you some options. Unless you only have one thing in mind when heading out, then I think anything we say will go unnoticed. But we’re still hoping.

Friday – August 29 The Tit’s and Toy’z Show @ Buddies

If you need help figuring this one out, then you might need more help than we can offer. Back by popular demand, the T and T show will be hosted by Gene the Machine and the ladies of Buddies II say that it’s going to be “a lickin’ stickin’ gramin’ jammin’ good time!” To which all I can say is “yipes!” And what does gramin’ mean? Show starts @ 10:30.

Sunday – August 31 Deborah Vial DVD release @ Sue Ellen’s

I think I’m gonna let the flyer speak for itself on this one. I think I may be checking this one out. Especially if we can get a camera over there, then for sure! But Vial is pretty amazing and that’s a fairly decent lineup for the Strip. I keep hoping more live music shows up on Cedar Springs and Sue Ellen’s keeps making my wish come true.

Friday Saturday – August 30 Black Tie Dynasty @ Barley House

People might make fun of my pop-rock tastes but I may forever be a fan of BTD. The new New Wave here in Dallas might just start with these guys and I think it may be safe to assume that with a new album dropping this year, they’ll be performing some of the new stuff. And my God, this poster is fantastic. If you want Killers + Depeche Mode + New Order with some local flavor, come check ’em out.

BTD @ Barley

August 30 and 31 Miss Gay Texas State at Large @ Best Friends Club

Trek on over to Fort Worth to the first official Miss Gay TX S@L event. Sable Alexander and Linze Serell look to be on hand to compete with entertainment by Mattie Madison and D’Aundra Dennay and hosted by special guest MC, Tessy. Gotta love it. And really, what’s a little day trip (or night for that matter) on the weekend to get in on some drag action? You know you want to.

The entire holiday weekend and next – A Decade of Texas Music Photography @ Kettle Art

There are several reasons you should go see this. Jason Janik’s work of bands and artists over the past 10 years all in one place is a good reason. Kettle Art is amazing. That’s two. The show benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Hello? And, the other half of Hint of Mint, Cindy Chaffin will be there. She did the video for the show and will perhaps be putting the camera to work on the exhibit and the slew of bands performing such as Smile Smile, Shibboleth (awww) and Man Factory and the closing show next door at Club Dada looks to be a hot spot as well with Red Monroe, Glen Reynolds and more. Check it fer sure!

As far as actual Labor Day? Chill out, barbecue, have a ‘rita. You might need recovery time from the weekend!

-Rich Lopez

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