We are very excited to welcome Allen Craig to the TOUCH dancefloor on Friday, May 24th. Probably best know for his work with Yerba Buena Discos and Moulton Music, Allen Craig is an underground workhorse. Even though he remains an elusive name, thanks to the DJ’s of the world, underground house fanatics will likely recognize a dozen of his songs, even if they never knew who was behind them. He is also half of the San Francisco duo The SyntheTigers, where he unleashes his obsession with all things disco alongside friend and compatriot Sergio Fedasz.
OUR PRIVATE VENUE has over 2500 square feet of luxurious, colorful and comfortable themed environments and saucy playspaces in a central San Francisco location. Our intimate dancefloor comes complete with a brass dance pole, cabaret stage, top-shelf sound system, beautiful plant-filled outdoor patio, several private lounges and plenty of space to circulate, flirt & enjoy.
ROBIN SIMMONS
At only 26 years old, few have the chance to run, operate and perform at their own exclusive underground dance venue, with a gorgeous club-grade sound system, in house visual artist, loving staff/family, and complete control over the artistic output. Robin is incredibly blessed for the opportunities provided him, which also include DJing house music starting at 12 years old, teaching the Intro to DJing class at UC Berkeley, throwing parties at Public Works, and DJing at places like El Rio, The Stud, Monarch & 222 Hyde, while playing alongside some of his idols, including David Harness, Andy Riley (Inland Knights) and his friend and mentor, Rick Preston. None of that would be possible without the support of his friends, family, loved ones, dancers, and all the amazing folks who have taken a chance on him along the way.Musically, Robin takes inspiration first and foremost from Larry Levan & the Paradise Garage. Dance music should shake you, move you, and release you back into your life fresh at the end of the night. Music should be without boundaries; bigger and more beautiful than any one category or format, and your DJ should be using their “voice” to deliver the most powerful and compelling message of humanity possible, telling a story of emotion and life with the music, bringing everyone together on a fantastic voyage.
SERGIO FEDASZ
Sergio’s DJing style draws inspiration from legendary Chicago DJ & producer Derrick Carter in addition to the one & only Larry Levan. He strives to keep the proud tradition of the DJ “speaking to the dancer” alive – through the music, lights, and other atmospheric elements of the dancefloor & club.
In 2005, he was chosen as the New Times (SF Weekly/East Bay Express) “DJ Breakthrough” and was invited to play at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami during the Winter Music Conference. In 2006, he was awarded the title of the SF Weekly’s 2006 Music Awards “Best DJ.” Most recently, he was voted BEST DJ in SF Weekly’s 2010 Reader’s Poll!
The Big-Ass Amazingly Awesome Homosexual Sheep project known as BAAAHS will be part mutant vehicle, part penetrable sculpture, part socio-political statement, and part gay disco.
From head to tail the art car will be 40-feet long and two levels. He will be a cuddly sheep on the outside with a chill den on the inside. The only entrance will be through his rear end.
His party side (the port or driver side) will contain a large sound system and a DJ platform, hidden by his fluffy exterior. His business side (the starboard or passenger side) houses generators, ventilation, passage between levels, and the exit. From all directions, he looks like a big adorable huggable sheep roaming the pastures of the Playa.
Debuting at Burningman 2013, we think it will be the largest ‘out’ and ‘gay’ art car ever brought to Burningman. While queer and gay burners contribute to large projects all over the Playa, we don’t know of another queer mutant vehicle project of this size and scale.
Donations made via BAAAHS Kickstarter will go toward amping up the sound system, sourcing the custom slide getting folks into the interior of the sheep, materials for the mirror ball sheep heart, and additional funds will go towards fuel and rent for our space at NIMBY in West Oakland—birthplace of some for the most infamous and celebrated mutant vehicles and art projects.
The BAAAHS Shepherds are a group of long-time burners, a few with upwards of 12-13 years of experience, committed to creating and bringing the largest queer mutant vehicle to the playa. They are a pool of talented artists, engineers, architects, sound designers, lighting designers, builders, business mavens, and all around huggable guys.
Collectively over the years, the Shepherds have contribute to some of the most unique burner experiences on and off the PLAYA, including:
Christian Williams helped build and organize camps such as M*A*S*Hcara and JiffyLube to Technophobia and Club Fierce.
John Major, one of the major contributors to Comfort & Joy and founder of Glow Worm (2000), Kursk (2001), Black Rock Refinery (2002), Automatic Subconscious (2003-2006), The Hive Village, and the Firefly Arts Collective & Regional Burn
Jerrod Littlejohn and Tally Duke Floyd, co-founded the Tea Baggers Ball and are longtime members of Full-Serve/Self-Serve, co-creators of Green Gary’s Robot Lounge, Unicorn Rest-Stop, The-Future-of-Greek-Art-is-Black-Velvet Camp, and Camp Nagel
Jacob Sperber, co-founder of Honey Sound System, longtime DJ for Comfort & Joy’s Honey Dusted Party
Everett Wayne, two years of bringing the Tigger Truck to the playa
As always, contact Dot (via PhotoByDot@yahoo.com) if there are any photos of you that you would like to be removed for any reason, or if you want any photos of you to be tagged in Facebook so they show up on your own timeline.
At Burningman 2012, Comfort & Joy’s courtyard ‘caught on fire’ with dazzling fire dancers spinning to sweet beats of guest DJ G.O’Brien under the playa full moon. Blitzy, a member of the C&J family and a fire dancer himself, led the Full Moon Fire Dance in collaboration with other artists and camp members.
The fire this year is looking to be HOTTER and BIGGER! Through The Ministry of Flow Fire Collective, Blitzy is organizing a fire troupe vying for the privilege to perform at the foot of the man on the night the man burns. Plan is also in place to bring fire performance to C&J again this year.
A FIRE DRAGON will be a centerpiece to this fireart creation. Please help realize this fireart masterpiece by donating to the FUNDRAISER.
Thank you for your support and contribution.
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WHAT: Please DONATE to the Ministry of Flow Fire Collective and bring fiery love to Comfort & Joy and Burning Man
WHEN: Fundraiser ends Sun, Apr 21
WHERE: Burning Man 2013
This is a video from last year’s Full Moon Fire Dance
Courtesy of Guy-André Michaud
More info: Ministry of Flow on Facebook.
Please “like” if you care for what Ministry of Flow is all about.
In the magical space of GENERATE: EVOLUTION, swim into our primordial past, crawl through our misty present and leap into our unfolding future.
Join Radical Faeries, The Billys and all pangender sacred Beings in six days of intentional tribal living at Saratoga Springs from Friday, May 24th to Thursday, May 30th. Together we will explore the ways we are changing definitions, blurring boundaries, and shedding the skin of old labels as we dance in concert with the forces of Evolution.
To explore our inner natures we will call on each other to invoke the great shared journey of real and imaginary human and non-human creatures through song, dance and ritual. Bring your best! From fabulous drag to rocking drums, we will offer time and space for you to share a workshop, ritual, playspace or other manifestation of your marvelous evolution.
Register as soon as you can. The gathering has a size limit (last year we had about 200) and will close when full.
There is plenty of camping, and some beds inside a main lodge and cabins (priority goes to those with special needs).
Register prior to attending. No on-site registration is possible. We simply can’t handle the food needs of many surprise guests!
Help co-creating the gathering, (i.e. volunteering in the kitchen) is expected. Share the magic of your most evolved self with the tribe.
After a full day of playshops sit back, relax and enjoy a gourmet meal with the community. Then, sit around for some intimate storytelling and cuddle cinema. All these happening at QUEERiCULUM, [kweer-rik-yuh-luhm]: (n) A fun filled, educational, regenerative, homocentric urban retreat.
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7:00pm: Gourmet Communal Dinner
After a full day of living, loving, learning, and laughing, settle in for a fabulous feast with your entire community! Our adorable C&J veteran Playabull, Chef/Founder at BanjaraBistro gourmet food truck (roaming the south bay) is bringing his culinary prowess to Queericulum!
Enjoy a gourmet meal at a bargain price of only $10 (Meal tickets will be available at the event, cash only). Vegetarian & Vegan options available, including:
Penne pasta salad with grilled portabello, arugula pesto, sundried tomato sherry vinaigrette
Banjara Bistro grilled veggies drizzled with our house white balsamic dressing topped with smoked almonds and fresh herbs, with or without sprinklings of fresh mozzarella.
Crispy crepe chips with your choice of homemade guacamole, fresh black olives, lime sour cream, &/or roasted jalapeno relish
Spring citrus fruit medley smitten with Banjara vanilla creme
About Your Chefs:
Playabull and Manisha opened the incredible Banjara Bistro gourmet food truck last year, and are taking the south bay by storm!
8:00-9:00pm: Talk to Her – Storytelling and Our Queer His/her/theirstories
After dinner, join us for this interactive story hour. In our modern world of corporate commodified culture, let’s shift some paradigm back to old-school face-to-face story telling. Let’s share our personal and collective herstories which are often lost in the mainstream maelstrom.
We’ll explore storytelling and our queer community’s his/her/theirstories. Across time and societies, storytelling serves to pass on cultural identities and memories. Among queer and lgbtqa2z communities, intergenerational interactions are often limited and community memories of struggles, successes, pleasures, identities, and resistances are lost to our own and our world’s great detriment. In this story hour we’ll begin with a brief exploration of the function of storytelling, move into small groups to share our queer his/her/theirstories, and finish in a large group to tell the stories we want to be passed on.
About The Facilitators:
Seth Holmes likes rock climbing and he wrote a book about social inequalities, racism, immigration and health. You should read it. He is also bearded and queer.
Brendan Cook loves the Earth, queers and building community. He’s a fan of getting city folk out in the dirt, cactus and cycling up & down San Francisco hills.
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9:00-10:00pm: Lavender Lounge Presents – The History of Gay Porn
In the back room, cuddle up with your community in a room sprawling with mattresses for this Cuddle Cinema Feature! Find out if SPOONING DOES lead to FORKING!
Though no one likes to admit it, gay pornography helped shape the queer community from the very early days of the movement. Before the internet, before home video, before gay film festivals, before OUT Magazine, before LOGO TV, underground film makers and photographers were connecting with lonely men across the country through erotic images sent through the mail. Find out how porn was made and distributed, legal issues, technical advances, and follow trends that got us where we are today. There will be plenty of visual aids from film, video, magazines and books to enjoy.
Suggested student supplies:
DVDs will be available for sale, cash is preferred
About Your Instructor:
Mark Kliem has been working in the adult industry consistently since 1994. He has produced, directed and edited dozens of movies. He was a judge of the GayVN Awards for 9 years, won a Cybersocket Award for Best Blog (along with several other nominations), he was Webmaster at Naked Sword for 5 years, and was a guest panelist at adult industry conventions numerous times. He also has a collection of over 500 gay porn movies on 8mm film, hundreds of gay porn magazines from the 1950′s through the 1980′s, and has several compilations of vintage porn available for sale on DVD.
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WHAT: GOURMET COMMUNAL DINNER, STORYTELLING and CUDDLE CINEMA
WHEN: Sat, Mar-30 (7pm, 8pm and 9pm respectively)
WHERE: RSVP for location. Tuition enrolls you to these playshops and over 25+ others throughout the day. $10 cash for gourmet meal.
(After a day of school, come to play! 10p-4a Touch: Homocumming Dance Party. Combined tickets available. See touch.eventbrite.com for more details).
You don’t want to miss these makeup playshops at QUEERiCULUM. Four playshops hosted by glamor makeup artists and legendary drag personalities. The powder room will be heated with activities…
Ms. Suppositori Spelling is gonna show you how to do eye make up, and you better pay attention!
Suggested student supplies:
Bring some eye makeup if you have it.
About Your Instructor:
Legendary local celebutant and host of the weekly drag sensation ‘Cocktailgate’ (Sunday Nights at Truck), Suppositori Spelling has captivated audiences all over San Francisco (and well beyond) with her radical style, outrageous performances, drag roulette, and showbox stage acrobats. Oh yeah, and her sexy ass.
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The Fabulously Frightening Florence Frightengale is ready to give you a personalized makeup consultation. Join her table and get some pointers from the lady as you doll up your face. Ms. Frightengale believes that every person is an artist – they just may need a bit of guidance to unleash it (or not!).
Suggested student supplies:
Makeup, brushes, a mirror if you have… if not, we may be able to find you some. Ms. Frightengale will have a limited number of gift bags for some well-behaved students, complements of the FABULOUS Laura Mercier, Urban Decay, and Sephora.
About Your Instructor:
Florence has 17 years of makeup experience (the last 9 with Sephora) and 10 years of drag experience. You’ve probably seen her at various venues across town, gurl. She’s FIERCE.
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Trashed wigs need love. Bring them so we can put some love and life into them. Resurrect your dead wigs!
Suggested student supplies:
Old wigs, hair spray (Aqua net) wig heads and any ribbons ties or other misc accessories. Anything recycled – aluminum cans, toilet paper rolls, wire string, bubble wrap, feathers to name a few. If you have even a slight feeling it could be used then BRING it. And feel free to bring spare wigs and supplies for other pupils, too! Ribbons, flowers, rubber bands, bobby pins, anything crafty.
About Your Instructors:
Mona Lott plays innocent on TV.
Mona and Amanda have been doing drag since the early 90′s when their drag mother Cockatelia gave birth to them live onstage at Trannyshack. OK, well not live on stage, but close enough. As esteemed Comfort & Joy alumni, they have been a vital part of the Comfort & Joy scene for years. This will be Mona’s 5th year camping with C&J on the playa, and her third year as kitchen bitch. These fine ladies also enjoy in their spare time providing courtesy glory hole services at your local truck stop.
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These queens will teach you a thing or two about glamor girl. They’ll help doll up any face!
Suggested student supplies:
Makeup, if you have it. If not, I’m sure we’ll find you some, honey.
About Your Instructors:
Amanda Love is a total SLUT. If you don’t realize that this is a compliment, then you’re in the wrong place, hunty.
Mona and Amanda have been doing drag since the early 90′s when their drag mother Cockatelia gave birth to them live onstage at Trannyshack. OK, well not live on stage, but close enough. As esteemed Comfort & Joy alumni, they have been a vital part of the Comfort & Joy scene for years. This will be Mona’s 5th year camping with C&J on the playa, and her third year as kitchen bitch. These fine ladies also enjoy in their spare time providing courtesy glory hole services at your local truck stop.
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WHAT: Powder Room Realness
WHEN: Sat, Mar-30 (various times)
WHERE: RSVP for location. Tuition enrolls you to these classes and over 25+ others throughout the day.
(After a day of school, come to play! 10p-4a Touch: Homocumming Dance Party. Combined tickets available. See touch.eventbrite.com for more details).
“I was on Grindr tricks, and I was bored to death with all the torso pics”
~ MC Crumbsnatcher (415 vs 212 Remix)
The performer & DJ talent coming together for this Saturday’s TOUCH is anything but boring! This month, MC Crumbsnatcher performs a NEW track as a duet with VAIN HAIN in our 10pm “Dimestore Diamonds” show, hosted by the de-loverly Effervescence Jackson. The Crumb tracks you can get off iTunes are amazing… and you’re going to love what he brings to Touch!
“QUEER SPACE is about creating a room 4 the spectacle of DIFFERENCE, as opposed to assimilating sameness” Waylon Smithers will be also be performing at Touch: Homocumming
After the show, we also excited to feature some gorgeous tech-house by DJ Nikita (above), who joins TOUCH favorite BUS STATION JOHN (Tubesteak Connection) and DJ Brian Maier (below). “Music fuels the heart and ignites the soul. With it, emotions flow freely and we are joined together in a shared, sacred dance. Allow me the opportunity to take you on my journey.” ~ DJ Brian Maier
TOUCH immediately follows Queericulum at the same venue for clothing-optional, late night Homocumming dancefloor action until 4am. Combination admission is available for the two events and are on sale now. RSVP to this Private Party here to make a donation & get the location information emailed to you automatically.
