Portlandia is also SugarTown, Gaycating, Glowing and checkin’ out some Lez Stand Up

Crave producers MJ (L) and DJ Alicious at last year's Glow party. Photo by OSI Photography.

Thursday

SugarTown Ice Cream Soul-cial – Last month’s very first ST was a sweet sweet success. Despite the sound trouble early on this celebration of sweetness and soul left a pleasant taste on everyone’s tongue. The music was fun and a nice respite from the usual club fare, the sweet treats for sale were cheap and delicious and there were just enough people to create plenty of opportunities mingle and dance without that claustrophobic and intense heat sometimes generated by popular nights. Sweet Thursday perfection. *

Friday

Crave presents “Glow” – Crave’s annual black light party is always a messy success. And as the creators are moving on to that bigger glow stick coast city Los Angeles, it might also be your last chance to feel the dark light love. This is your chance to relive your raver days or revel in what you missed for those of you in your 20s.  But get there early cuz this tiny space fills up fast with females, and besides, they have killer drink specials before 10. *

Poison Waters & friends happy hour show – Good ol’ fashioned drag entertainment in the swanky new Crystal Hotel.

Peep Show hosted by ChiChi and Chonga – This former Tuesday show outgrew it’s weekday shortpants and has moved to a coveted Friday slot because it’s so damn good. Hosts ChiChi and Chonga have been everywhere in this town since their explosion last year so you might think their acts have gotten stale. Not so. The duo are constantly reinventing themselves and I have no doubts their chola emcee personalities will provide a lovingly snarky show. You can read yesterday’s interview with Peep show organizer Korin Schneider for some more background info. *

Saturday

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein play feminist bookstore owners in 'Portlandia'

Portlandia fundraiser for In Other Words – Tonight the smallness of IOW turns from quaint to exclusive when Portlandia‘s Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen invade the bookstore to help keep it afloat. And $40 for a VIP pass to the now superstars is a small price to pay. Plus you can feel that warm glow of philanthropy as you purchase raffle tickets for some great prizes such as a Portlandia set visit, tickets to see Brownstein’s new band Wild Flag or even an outgoing voicemail message provided by Armisen. Dude, what could be more Portlandy? Oh and did I mention that it won’t just be tea to drink this time, but beer and wine as well. Take that fake TV bookstore lesbian owners!

Lez Stand Up comedy – How many lesbian feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?… That’s just not funny. Luckily, these ladies are way more hilarious than tired jokes making fun of feminists. Because we can be funny. And goddamn if host and founder Kirsten “Kupp“ Kuppenbender isn’t perfect proof of that. But you don’t just get the towheaded filmmaker funny lady, but a whole host of laugh worthy lezzies such as Ally “Beastmaster” Picard and the world premier of Emily Kingan‘s web series Mantimes. *

Gaycation – You know it a love it. The biggest thing to hit Holocene since sliced limes. Plus guest DJ Roy-G-Biv. *

Undone presents Burnination 3 – This may not be a strictly homo event but I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for good techno/house/trance/D’n’B music and this looks like it’s gonna be a big party. DJ culture and gay culture may have a harder time overlapping in this town than others but the Local Lounge is a great gay spot and the PLUR of this community mos’ def includes some gaymos in the ranks.

Sunday

Singles mingler for dapper dykes and femme fatales – I may be more of the genderqueer set but even I can appreciate the dress up drag of butch/femme done oh so right. I swoon at butch and femme alike to this mixer would be a potentially dangerous dating game for me. Great excuse to get out of those ripped up PDX punk jeans and dust off a real suit. So worth the trouble.

* I’ve been asked more than once to identify the events that I, myself, am attending. I am both flattered and flabbergasted by the request at times and don’t kid myself to think that the bulk of my readers care but I’m trying it out. Maybe my friends will be more apt to read here in this case. Anyway, this week I’m tired and PMSy (TMI? probably) so the asterisk is a strict maybe. I’ll continue to use it thus and give you a two asterisk ** if I’m damn sure I’ll be in attendance.