BEARLY YOURS This weekend brings the big bear bash that originated in San Francisco (Frisco! Frisco! Frisco! Ha! We said it! 3x!) right here to the ATX (Ha! Said that, too!). Austin’s own Bear Ups pulled it together in conjunction with the left coast circuit masters, Bearracuda. The hairy collusion will explode like a backed-up batch of scat after one too many pic-a-nic baskets this Saturday at the ND at 501 Studios, and aside from the natural plush of the man fur in evidence, expect a pretty ripe and gamey roster of entertainment to boot. Music maestros Boyshapedbox (Bearracuda vet of Atlanta, NOLA, and Vancouver, British Columbia) and DJ Matt Consola (San Francisco) will console-a you with hypontic spinnery and get you good and greased-up for the one lady who won’t get the stink eye for venturing into the one-night man cave, and that, of course, would be Austin’s own ho-ette laureate, Christeene. Now, Christeene is no stranger to the fine art of navigating spaces dunked in gunk, spunk, and bodily funk(tions), so she should slither right through this dark night forest with sleazy ease. Of course, there will be a photo booth (just ’cause they like to wear sweatpants don’t mean they don’t like to look goooooood …) and snack station (a bear’s gotta eat – we envision freshly wrapped twinks). The night before the big bear-circuit soiree, new local bear bar the Iron Bear will open its doors for a pre-growl party for all to see. On Sunday, the bears will mosey over to their usual local hibernation station for the Trailer Trash Bear Brunch at Chain Drive, featuring local trailers Lucky J’s Chicken & Waffles and Biscuits+Groovy. It’s really only been over the last few years that this elusive culture of Austin big boys has amassed en masse and began shaking their rolls of fluff and stuff for all to see. This weekend, don’t be shocked to bear witness to some serious sightings of near and far-flung fur. Let the rrrrrawring begin!
This article appears in January 21 • 2011.