From The Metro Underground:

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News & Notes from Around the Scene:

Archived postings for each of the following can now be found on Blogspot:

• Archived News & Notes can be found at MetroNewsArchive.blogspot.com.
• Our Current Newsletter can be found at MetroNewsletter.blogspot.com
• Archived Newsletters from 2009-2011 can be found on LiveJournal.

Masque DC presents ‘Black Swan’ (September Feature): Already known for their curated club nights focused toward the upscale lifestyle community, Masque DC continues to move into their newest phase of possibility. For the underground lifestyle community, they offer one of the best affairs we've seen in 30 years. Providing an incredible night at a lavish new venue in the heart of DC, they carry a high-end private play party meets full scale event with offer 3 zones of music, top notch entertainment, a curated list of elegant attendees, & a chance for one of the hottest nights DC has seen in a very long time. 

      Please note: Masque DC has NO affiliation w/ Masque in Philly, nor w/ the former group Bound in DC. 

The Bad Fae Ball (Instagram.com/badfaeball): Over the past year we stumbled across a newcomer to the scene who really caught our eye. Now in their second year, Harrison Brant Banker Doyle has hit Baltimore with a fresh sense of creative passion not felt in quite a while. Their main efforts include the Spring Beltane Ball & Bad Yule Ball in December as well as others in the works. All are gala events with awesome energy, top notch entertainment, & a great crowd. Honestly, they’re reminiscent of our own Metro Spring Formals back when we got this whole thing going. They also hosts the Erotic Expo in DC & Baltimore. We hope you check it out.

The Naughty Snow Ball Returns (Facebook.com/MischiefDC): A fan favorite for the DC Burner Scene has at last returned! Previously hosted as a gala event by Mischief DC, organizers have once again come together to create a great night of art, music, & intrigue. We're excited to have them back. Keep an eye of their main forums for details coming soon. 

Capital Fringe Discontinues (CapitalFringe): the long running DC festival for alternative & independent theater has come to a close.The annual festival has been discontinued as of Jan 2025 due to ongoing issues with suitable venues. The organization has since shifted its focus to cash awards for area artists & efforts to support the community. However, District Fringe has risen from its ashes to carry its banner forward. With a focus on independent theater, the new festival has created an initial following & hopes to continue on.

Baltimore's New Kink Cafe (Instagram.com/kink_cafe): In early September, North Charles Street in Baltimore held a grand opening for the new Kink Café. Offering a brick & mortar location for good food, edgy atmosphere, education, & playful possibility, we expect they’ll fit in well with the Baltimore Eagle & other alternative venues. More reminiscent of San Francisco than the Mid-Atlantic, they are a reminder that Baltimore often plays to its own tune. Follow them on Instagram for more. 

Tribute for Brendan Lear - I’d like to make a final tribute to the recent passing of Brendan Lear (founder of D~X~S Rapture). In the early days of The Metro Underground & Richard A.D, most really didn’t quite get what we were trying to do. Brendan & DXS was one exception. He embraced not only the concept, but myself as well. We all have our apex & our departure. At the time, DXS was a leading group which threw some of the best play parties the scene had to offer. But they also offered something more – they actively brought people together in a common bond that would last. That’s rare. Complications with health & a new path in life took him in a different direction. But for me & others, he will be fondly remembered.  

      Today, Blagden Alley hosts trendy restaurants & bouchée cafes. But down at the end sits a house that used to host some of the best underground parties the scene had to offer.  Life has its phases & not everything is forever. So we pay tribute to those who mattered, those we’ve lost, & take a moment to appreciate those we still have all the more. We thank you Brendan, you were a beautiful soul, dear friend, & true leader among us.  

Tabu Social Club Passes the Torch (July Feature): with over 16 years of dedicated service, on July 3^rd Vicki will officially pass the torch as the owner of Baltimore’s Tabu Social Club. As an award winning organization with national recognition, she has survived catastrophic fires, a global pandemic, political upheaval, & so much more. Yet in the wake of it all, she has not only found a way to carry on but to thrive as one of the area’s most iconic clubs for the scene.

      Speaking personally, I have the utmost respect for Vicki both as a person & a true leader in the scene. To say we have history is an understatement. The emblematic ‘Body Shots’ which have been carried at every one of our events began with The Studio 54 Party we cohosted at Tabu (for what now seems a lifetime ago). Even more, in the early days, each year she was kind enough to loan me her personal Sybian for the Fetball, Black & White Ball, &  Winter Formal. This was something entirely new back then, but it caught on fast. Soon parties & events throughout the scene felt they had to have one as well. It became such a thing that we were actually contacted by the manufacturers for the recognition we had created for their brand. The Metro even has it’s own room at Tabu (of which, I must admit I’ve a non-existent & terrible job of decorating!).

      We love you Vicki & thank you for almost 2 decades of care & friendship. As the torch is now passed, we wish the new owners a fruitful journey as they now carry this flame forward. 

After 40 Years, Sigma Comes to a Close (Article): After 40 years in operation, the gay male social group Sigma as finally turned in its banners & has come to the end of an era. Please see article link for more. 

The District Eagle (MetroWeekly): Presenting one of DC's newest underground clubs for the gay scene, The District Eagle is a true speakeasy. Located at 1357B U Street (NW DC), patrons first pass through the Lucky Pollo Peruvian Chicken. To the back of the club there is a vending machine for candy. Give a pull to any of the vending levers, then give a strong tug to open a back door. This enters you into the back club area, offering a cruisy vibe of kink & leather with DJ’s, bar, & back areas to play. While the DC Eagle has long since closed, an attempt to carry that same spirit lives on at U Street.

C.L.A.W. Moves from its Namesake City (NCSFArticle): Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend, one of the largest male leather gatherings for the entire mid-west, held tense discussions with their long-term host venue in Cleveland. New ownership at the Westin shut down the weekend, citing they held no support for what the organization represented. This prompted CLAW leadership to move from their namesake city to the Hyatt Regency in Columbus (an upgrade in both attitudes of ownership & venue). More info in article. 

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Discontinued:

Main Events:

• Honfest Baltimore, Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, Lucidity, Sonarfest, Megafest, Blerdcon, Transformus. Capital Fringe. Moonrise Festival, Impuse, Colorado Leatherfest, BR NaCK, Crucible Rendevous, Poly Living . 

Clubs, Groups, & Resources:

• Loving More (National Poly), Sigma (gay leather group in DC), DMV Kink Link (gay events for kink-minded individuals).

Recent Additions:

• Clubs: Harrison Banker Productions (Yule Ball, Beltane , Pirate Prom, & more), Masque DC (Masque & Atelier).
• Groups: Wolfspirit DC (N.Va Fet Group) The Crown & Collar Society (N.Va group dedicated to the expresion of elegance). Demon's Den (Gaithersburg play parties). 
• Recurring Nights: Dark Constellation, Sip & Sin, Ceremony, Bangkok Cabaret, Crucible Rope, DCAS Happy Hour, Balt.Nexus Skillshare, Pleasurecation, Queer Dudes Play Party, Queer Dudes Happy Hour, Yes Daddy, & Rough House.
• Resource: Post Apocalyptic Event Page.

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No portion of this text may be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the author.