San Francisco: Party with us at Wicked Grounds BDSM cafe! Die Schwarze Frau, Japanese drag queen show.
Here’s the fabulous travel news… I’m off to San Francisco with some of my best friends! Including the sakura-queen Yukiro (above), First Mate Naomi, travel film team extraordinaire Melissa and Eric… And we want you to join our adventure.
Come to our event, “Pussycat Night: Chained but not Tamed,” at the San Fran BDSM cafe Wicked Grounds! Hang out with us and watch us perform, on Fri May 23rd from 7-9pm.
I’m hosting the festivities, and Naomi will draw a “thing”… you’ll have to show up to see what it is. (The above flyer is her fabulous handiwork; more art is on her Naomiyaki site.)
But the star of the show is Yukiro’s Gothic drag queen persona, Die Schwarze Frau. The bloody lady just performed to a crowd of 20,000 at Tokyo Pride, and this will be her international debut. For a preview of the evil, check out the DSF Ameblo.
WHEN: Friday May 23, 2014
WHERE: Wicked Grounds (BDSM cafe), 289 8th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
TIME: 7-9pm
All ages! No cover, just order a drink or snacks.
I’ve visited San Francisco at least four times, but haven’t been here in recent years. Can’t wait to re-discover the alternative scene, including Goth-fetish club nights, Trannyshack, Japantown, vintage fashion, and more. If you have travel tips for us, please let us know in the comments.
Fortunately, Die Schwarze Frau will only be causing mischief at the show. The rest of the time, I’ll be with Yukiro, who you’ll remember from my Wave Gotik Treffen, Berlin, Japan, LA and NY Fashion Week travels.
You can keep up with Yukiro’s photoshoots, events and more on his WordPress blog and Yurara modeling site (focusing on the fem side, with a graceful high fashion feeling).
These photos of Yukiro are by Japanese photographer Naoko Tachibana, who runs the site Cross Dress Japan.
She was a cosplay model for many years, and became close to people in the Tokyo LGBT scene. Naoko specializes in cross-dressing images like these; her works have been published in two books, and she had a solo exhibition in Taipei, along with features in galleries internationally.
I’m in awe at the mood and light that she captures. If you want to work with Naoko in Tokyo, or simply see more of her images, contact her photo studio.
I leave you with some snaps of another top model: my Scottish Fold, Basil Farrow.
For many more round-faced images, peek at his cat blog.
Can’t wait to explore the subcultures of San Fran! Do you have any suggestions for places to visit? Let me know in the comments, or Tweet me @lacarmina.
And please let your SF friends know about our Pussycat Night at Wicked Grounds (May 23, 7-9pm, full details above). Hope to see you there!
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Toronto Goth nightlife & concerts: Amy’s Arms live at Lee’s Palace, Gothic Industrial dance clubs.
I’m not your typical travel blogger. You won’t find me taking photos at Toronto’s CN Tower or Hockey Hall of Fame. Instead, I’ll be out at 2am, soaking in the city’s underground nightlife and culture.
Take my hand, and let’s explore Goth clubs, a Lenin-themed bar, and two Scott Pilgrim venues. Who’s with me?
On the first night, I took a taxi from my downtown hotel (One King West) to Lee’s Palace (529 Bloor St West). Recognize the name? Lee’s Palace was the site of many an epic band battle, in the Scott Pilgrim movie!
I met up with Linda Tea, who you may remember from the Toronto Goth modeling post. Love the stained glass print on her dress.
I also ran into Laura the Mistress McCutchan (editor of Morbid Outlook, management for Amy’s Arms, and director of tribal bellydance troupe, The Serpentina North Ensemble). She is wearing the “Odette” dress by Gloomth, the independent Lolita label run by our friend Taeden Hall. I love how she accessorized the high collar bodice with rows of ruffles.
We were all here to see our comrade Karen O’Keefe, singer and founding member of Gothic band Amy’s Arms. Karen’s such a positive spirit, and has been involved in the Ontario Gothic Lolita community for some time.
We swayed to their melancholy songs, which convey energy and passion through Karen’s vocals. All over the stage, she twirled with swan-like arm movements. Thankfully, nobody challenged the band to a “duel to the death” (as poor Scott Pilgrim suffered).
Amy’s Arms had just finished tour dates in Ottawa and Montreal, earning new fans in every stop.
David Owen charmed the audience with his Theremin theatrics.
A colorful stage presence by Justin David Minister (composer/guitarist) and Tyla Thea Bolte (vocals).
The devil’s in the details, from the sound quality to the boots on their feet.
Brent Kervin on bass, behind a Korg synthesizer.
I haven’t been to a concert for the longest time, and Amy’s Arms reminded me of how uplifting a performance can be. For a taste of their Goth rock, you can check out their Facebook and site. (I also featured their music in my Vienna travel video episode!)
Amy’s Arms was touring with headliner David J, the legendary bassist of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Moody, bluesy and classic Gothic… an honor to see him perform in the flesh.
What I wore that evening: relatively neutral makeup, and spider-like eyelashes topped with gems, by my friend Shrinkle of Sugarpill Cosmetics.
My pastel Goth polka-dot top is by Spider Hong Kong (remember my Chinese Gothic fashion shoot with this label?)
The next afternoon, I went for happy hour at Pravda Vodka House (44 Wellington St East)… a Communist-themed bar! You know I love weird theme restaurants, so this was right up my alley.
Pravda is decked out in Russian Red memorabilia… including a giant, gold statue of Lenin’s bald head.
I saw hammer and sickles, a row of Russian dolls, and propaganda posters, and even a portrait of Chairman Mao.
The menu specializes in vodka, of course. Try the maple one, and the gravlax snacks. Nazdorovye!
Later that evening, Karen took me on a Gothic nightlife tour. We started at Freaky Fridays, an alternative night at Velvet Underground (510 Queen St West). DJ Ivan Palmer was rocking the sugar skull makeup behind the booth.
Down the road, we stopped by Bovine Sex Club (542 Queen St W), a favorite bar for punks and underground types. The entrance, a mass of mangled bicycle parts, is easy to spot.
A few more steps, and we were at Nocturne (550 Queen St W) — home to one of the longest-running Gothic nights.
Nocturne holds a variety of nights dedicated to indie and experimental music, such as rave, lo-fi, synth and futurepop.
We came for Black Friday with DJ Osaze. He played an extraordinarily fun mix of Goth, Industrial, hard rock, EBM… including forays into highland dancing and flamenco. I didn’t leave the dance floor for more than a few minutes, it was that good.
Did you realize Toronto, Ontario has such a cool underground scene? What should I check out the next time I’m in TO?
PS: I also wrote posts about Montreal and Vancouver alt nightlife, which I hope you find helpful.
LA CARMINA
