Hot shots

Scenes and party goers snapped at venues and events around town. All photos by Erik Jacobs.
  • Automatic @ Diva Lounge

  • Automatic
  • When: April 23, 2008
  • Venue: Diva Lounge
  • The scene: Walking into the neon-white plastic-bubble-lined Diva Lounge is like stepping into the Korova Milk Bar in Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" or the space station in his "2001: A Space Odyssey." It's the perfect sci-fi chic spot for Automatic, where progressive house and electro mash-ups create a wall of mesmerizing noize and hardcore beats. Great Indian food at Diva Bistro next door doesn't hurt either.
  • Paper at Harpers Ferry

  • Paper
  • When: April 17, 2008
  • Venue: Harpers Ferry
  • The scene: Paper — Harpers Ferry's weekly 18+ indie and dance party — has been packing in the hipsters for more than two years. On any given Thursday, Paper's Myspace page promises, you could hear anything from Human League to Snoop Dogg on the dance floor. Allston Rock City, indeed!
  • Shake 'Em Down

  • Shake 'Em Down
  • When: April 3, 2008
  • Venue: Milky Way
  • The scene: Oh, Milky Way. Where else could we go to hear everything from "Upside Down" by Diana Ross to "Finally" by CeCe Peniston while watching "Tron" on the big screen? The monthly Shake 'Em Down dance event, headlined by DJ Chris Devlin, brought us back to middle school roller skating parties — in a good way.
  • Drinking & Drawing

  • Drink & Draw
  • When: March 31, 2008
  • Venue: Paddy O's
  • The scene: Paddy O's was taken over by a pack of about 20 illustrators for a party that had them working together to make one animated film. The illustrations are being made into a quick animated feature this week and will soon be posted online for viewing at drinkinganddrawing.org.
  • College bowling

  • College bowling
  • When: March 25, 2008
  • Venue: Kings Lanes
  • The scene: Students bowl free on Tuesdays, but it isn't that different from other nights at the busy Back Bay bowling alley. The neon lights and pounding music, complete with Go-Go's and Whitesnake videos on screens above the lanes, can be distracting — at least that's our excuse for throwing gutter balls.
  • Make It New @ Middlesex

  • Make It New
  • When: March 20, 2008
  • Venue: Middlesex Lounge
  • The scene: Every Thursday night, three DJs take turns spinning electronic music into the wee hours. The tables are wheeled to the perimeter to make room for sweaty masses with asymmetrical haircuts and Converse kicks sipping minty mojitos and getting down to the beat.
  • Wii Night at River Gods

  • Keep it Wii-eal
  • When: March 11, 2008
  • Venue: River Gods
  • The scene: Once a month, this cozy Central Square haunt with veggie burgers aplenty pulls down its big screen and invites bargoers to play Wii. Sports are the main draw, and the most popular game seems to be bowling. It’s easier to carry a tiny Wiimote controller, after all, than to lug around a 10-pound bowling ball.
  • F.A.M.E. at Via Matta

  • F.A.M.E.
  • When: March 5, 2008
  • Venue: Via Matta
  • The scene: On the first Wednesday of the month, the bar at the upscale Italian restaurant Via Matta becomes a cross-pollination of cool for F.A.M.E. (Fashion, Art, Music, Enoteca). Young designers, DJs, and artists flaunt their work while downing complimentary cocktails and appetizers, and the chic Back Bay restaurant gains a hipper, edgier clientele.
  • Bluegrass at the Cantab

  • Pickin' Party
  • When: Feb. 26, 2008
  • Venue: Cantab Lounge
  • The scene: Calling all pickers and pluckers: This is the place for you. Each Tuesday, the smallish beer bar in Central Square becomes a foot-tappin', hand-clappin' hootenanny as local and national bluegrass musicians play beneath twinkling Christmas lights. Can we get a "yeehaw"? (And a Pabst Blue Ribbon while you're at it?)