Since it opened two years ago, Aqua (925 Lincoln Street) has gone through a few transformations — some inspired by the market (see "On Ice," June 7, 2007, and Second Helping, August 9, 2007), and others by the neighbors, who complained about the booming bass radiating up from the back room into their posh digs in the Beauvallon.
In order to appease those folks, owner Jay Chadrom has installed smaller multiple speakers in the space in back, which will be transformed from the onetime Aphrodisiac Lounge into a VIP room with bottle service, and he's added a beefier sound system up front. The modifications seem to have done the trick, Chadrom says. And not a minute too soon, because he's booked Matthew Bandy and his Know crew, who've been laying down stellar sets of live house music Wednesdays at Parallel 17 (1600 17th Avenue), a night that fills up fast. Chadrom liked Bandy's crew so much that he's booked them to do a monthly night at Aqua — and he hopes to go to three a week. In the meantime, Aqua will continue as a restaurant most nights, then transform into a club on Friday and Saturday nights, when promoter Greg Campbell has been bringing in a steady stream of DJs, including some from New York and Chicago.
And now that the former Marni's next door has turned into the casual Mr. Coco's Bar & Grill, with two happy hours a day and a limited menu offered until 1:30 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, this corner of the Golden Triangle looks golden for late-night fun.
Club scout: Not only can you catch Matthew Bandy at Parallel 17 on Wednesdays and Senger's on the Fax (3014 East Colfax Avenue) on Thursdays, but you can see him in a more intergalactic context at Meadowlark (2701 Larimer Street) on Friday, February 8, when he joins Peter Black (of Rockstars Are Dead) and Tyler Snow for the launch of Analog Space, a monthly party featuring cosmic disco, cyborg rock and Balearic beats. Black's goal is to take the listener on a mind-bending trip, so don't expect French headbanger nonsense, annoying mash-ups or any form of electro noise. The night was "born out an intense desire to have fun and regain the magical feeling of discovering something new," he explains. "No hype, just substance."
Opening night, everyone will get a free, limited-edition Analog Space compilation CD, "which will feature some of the top tracks that are tickling our brains and will hopefully help explain just what the hell it is we mean by cosmic and Balearic and such fancy words," Black says. The DJs also want any vinyl junkies to bring used records — whether they come from the dollar bin or a thrift store — to exchange with others.
If an interstellar audio trip isn't your bag, try the Tuaca Body Art Ball on Sunday, February 10, at the Exdo Event Center (1399 35th Street). After Dallas-based psych-rock band Spoonfed Tribe kicks things off, visual artists will paint fifteen performers who will then do interpretive dances set to music and lights. The event is invitation-only, but tickets are available by registering at www.tuaca.com.
Finally, Tryst (1512 Larimer Street) has introduced Drink Pink for the Cure, a ladies' night even Steve Horner should love! From 5 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, half the proceeds from pink-drink specials ($2 strawberry-infused vodka cocktails and $2 cosmopolitan martinis) will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
