Vegas Alliance's Gino LoPinto has been throwing and promoting parties for as long as I have been on the trail of Sin City nightlife. A pioneer in the after-hours scene, LoPinto was behind the loony, near-mythological Glo (my longest night there ended at noon) and the legendary Club Rhino after-hours at Spearmint Rhino, one of the greatest events in Vegas club history.
LoPinto's reputation continues to grow with List Wednesdays at the House of Blues' Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay. List is an invite-only event that promises to showcase different entertainment than the usual fare. I stopped by recently for LoPinto's 30-10th Birthday Bash. It featured an open bar til 11 p.m., guest DJ Scotty Boy, percussion by Naif, an erotic B-day dance from Jada Fire, and resident DJs L-One and Joey Mazzola. I had a fantastic time. If you are lucky enough to get an invite, don't miss out.
Who was smart enough to check out UK dance group Way Out West at Ice on Saturday? The live performance of pounding breaks, grooving house and haunting vocals was a joy to witness. Great music is always a pleasure, but mixing a rock concert performance with a pounding club dance-floor is something I just don't experience enough. I don't mean to denigrate the brilliant work of DJs everywhere, but a live combo can affect me in ways a DJ alone could never imagine.
As many of you know, I interviewed WOW's Nick Warren last week. It was a great talk, and Warren was an insightful subject. You can imagine my disappointment, then, when I found out he was absent because of, according to WOW's reps, "a touch of tonsillitis." My disappointment was brief, though. Warren's cohort, Jody Wisternoff, handled the beats with masterful ease and Omi's vocals were beautiful—absolutely beautiful. I can't wait for them to hit our shores again. Since I'm on the subject, don't miss Shecky Green's Game Friday this week for a performance from old-skool hip-hoppers Digital Underground. Also on the bill are DJ Stone Rokk and Game resident DJ Justin Hoffman.
Since I'm a shameless, self-promoting whore of the highest degree, I want to make sure you all know to check me out on DJ Hollywood's top-rated radio show, Hollywood Boulevard, Sunday at 10 p.m. on 98.5 KLUC. Tune in, turn on and digital out!
Antonio Llapur walks softly and carries a big club. E-mail him at
[email protected].