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| Get Out’s seven-night club banger guide | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Kelly Wilson, Get Out | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| July 12, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
I have answers for Thursday through Saturday, the bread-and-butter nights of the East Valley club scene, but sometimes even I’m stumped about where to go Monday through Wednesday, the typically “off” nights of the week. Turns out, a few E.V. clubs have discovered the secret to get their bars bumpin’ on those ho-hum weeknights. “It’s all a matter of networking and word-of-mouth,” says Scottsdale promoter Brian Durkee, who hosts three of the E.V.’s most popular nights at Zuma Grill, Pink Taco and Dirty Pretty Rockbar. “I can put a night anywhere and make it hot. ... The nights have built and created a following and support which drives these nights.” We spent two weeks hitting the clubs to bring you Get Out’s Seven-Night Club Banger Guide.  “I think I’ve used most of my sick days from closing down Martini Ranch on Sunday nights,” says Dave Calders, 30, of Mesa, while sipping a beer at the downtown Scottsdale dance club and music venue. “Metalhead is the best! When I’m here, I like to stay for the whole thing.”  And can you blame him? The ’80s hair metal tribute band (interview) pack ’em in consistently with covers of Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Poison, Def Leppard and Skid Row tunes. People in their 20s and 30s — some of whom wear shirts advertising their favorite hair band — dance to nearly three hours of music (see club cam photos).Young women fill the front row where they can be found dancing and singing along to the band’s lyrics as guys pound their fists in the air to the music. “There’s no doubt that this is the hottest place to be on a Sunday night,” says Calders. >> 10:30 p.m., 7295 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale. $5. (480) 970-0500 or martiniranchaz.com.  A line forms at Tempe’s Zuma Grill at 11 p.m. on Mondays for Toxic Mondays. Music pumps through the speakers as a fashionable crowd of 20-somethings mingle through the hip Mill Avenue lounge (see club cam photos).  Somehow Durkee has managed to cash in on what is typically the slowest night of the week in the bars and clubs. While the night isn’t offering anything extraordinary, it certainly draws a see-and-be-seen crowd. The night also features hot bartenders, $3 Stoli vodka cocktails and an abundance of regular customers.“I’m not sure why Zuma does so well on Mondays,” says Amy Yavredez, 22, of Tempe, shouting over the loud music. “But it’s always packed here! There’s not another club like this on Mondays. I think everyone knows that Zuma is the place to be!” >> 10 p.m., 605 S. Mill Ave., Tempe. Free. (480) 829-6775 or zumagrill.com.  Scottsdale’s Pink Taco (review) is filled with some of the most beautiful people in the E.V. during Twisted Tuesdays. But you’ll also find a lot of the Scottsdale stereotypes — guys with popped collars who are wearing sunglasses at night and peroxide blondes with stiletto heels and cleavage-baring tops whose faces are bound to end up on dirtyscottsdale.com the following morning (see club cam photos).  DJ Circle, who also spins at Zuma Grill on Mondays, is behind the decks every week for the night, which also boasts 3 Olive cocktails for $3 and $4 SoCo Lime shots and bombers, spinning rock and hip-hop jams.“I never have to work on Wednesdays, so I was thrilled when I found a bar that’s packed on a Tuesday,” says Harlow James, a 26-year-old restaurant server. “It seriously feels like a weekend. Look around! You can’t even move. I come here every week.” >> 10 p.m., 7135 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Free. (480) 675-7777 or pinktaco.com.  “Everyone’s at Myst on Wednesdays,” a bartender at the Hotel Valley Ho once told me when I was having dinner at Cafe Zuzu and mulling over where to paint the town red with my out-of-town friend. He wasn’t kidding. It looks like a typical weekend night at the downtown Scottsdale dance club when Myst hosts Midweek Chic. People in their 20s and 30s are dancing as a DJ spins tracks from Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake and Akon, and the patio is equally crowded (see club cam photos).  Bartender extraordinaire Terry Keel can be found in the bar’s white room mixing colorful, elaborate cocktails while people mingle through the posh two-story club.“I’m not sure if they do a lot of promotion for this night, but we just happened to stop by one Wednesday and were surprised by what we found,” says Mark Lass, 27, of Chandler. “There were so many people. I used to wonder where people go on Wednesdays, and I guess I know now.” >> 10 p.m., 7340 E. Shoeman Lane, Scottsdale. $10 for guys and free for ladies. (480) 970-5000 or mystaz.com.  A MySpace bulletin for Scottsdale’s Dirty Pretty Rockbar advertises, “Where the beautiful women go to get ugly.” While there certainly aren’t any ugly people in the new bar, which opened in the former Bar 74 digs in late May, the goth/rock-looking club is definitely slammed with a beautiful crowd (see club cam photos).  Ornate chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the dimly lit, intimate bar features plush sofas, a small dance floor and a DJ spinning mash-ups on this Thursday. Although no one is dancing, people are certainly mingling and making friends.Ben Davidos recommends arriving early to Dirty Pretty Rockbar if you want to make it inside. “The bar just goes off every Thursday,” says Davidos, 28, of Scottsdale. “People need to get here at 9 p.m. if they want to get inside. By 11 p.m., there’s a large line out the door.” >> 10 p.m., 7443 E. Sixth Ave., Scottsdale. Free. (480) 970-1222 or dirtyprettyaz.com.  While there’s no shortage of clubs to spend your T.G.I.F., Devil’s Martini is a hit with clubgoers for its cheap drinks and fun atmosphere (see club cam photos).  The downtown Scottsdale dance club offers two-for-one cocktails from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. for those wanting to beat the crowd. When it hits 11 p.m., you’ll find a packed dance floor filled with people in their 20s and 30s gyrating to hip-hop and rock jams. The club, which also has a location in north Scottsdale, offers several bars with smokin’ hot bartenders and a patio to kick back. And although the bar’s name features the word “martini,” you’ll find more people slamming shots and sipping beers than toting a martini.“I love Devil’s,” says Ashley Wilson, 25, of Scottsdale. “There’s a lot of dance clubs to choose from, but this is where it’s really going on. The crowd is pretty. The cocktails are delicious. And it’s a relatively cheap night out. That’s probably why so many people like coming here on the weekends.” >> 8 p.m., 4175 N. Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale. $10 for guys and free for ladies. (480) 947-7171 or devilsmartini.com.  Scottsdale’s Jackrabbit Supper Club is Britney Spears-approved. The pop singer made the rounds last December when she reportedly made out with Arizona Cardinals hottie Matt Leinart.  The see-and-be-seen Jackrabbit Supper Club is packed with stylish people in their 20s to 40s during the club’s bangin’ Saturday nights (see club cam photos).Although drink prices are a little on the steep side — martinis are $13! — the bar offers patrons a lot of bang for their buck with hourly burlesque-style performances from the club’s saucy dancers. “You can go anywhere on a Saturday night and find a crowd,” says Meredith Hoorv, 26, of Scottsdale. “But spend a Saturday here and you get a show and a great people-watching experience. It really is a beautiful crowd and fun place to spend a weekend night on the town.” >> 9 p.m., 4280 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale. $10 for guys and free for ladies. (480) 429-4494 or jackrabbitaz.com. Contact Kelly Wilson by email, or phone (480) 898-5691 |
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