Once upon a time, the South wasn't quite so dirty. But in 1989, 2 Live Crew changed that forever with the release of As Nasty As They Wanna Be, featuring the massive club hit "Me So Horny." And 2 Live's DJ Mr. Mixx was there to spin the smut. "These guys that are so huge today, like Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins, all their music is derivative of what I was doing back then," says Mixx, who'll be manning the turntables this Friday at the Balinese Room in Galveston. "Whatever you want to call this music, whether it's crunk or Dirty South or what have you, we started that shit."
In the early '90s, 2 Live Crew scored big with its randy mix of propulsive breakbeats garnished with four-letter samples lifted from comedy records by Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx and Eddie Murphy. "We were making music for grown-ups," insists Mixx. Suburban teens loved it, and parents, well, freaked. "People thought we were out there trying to corrupt little kids, but it wasn't our fault if they were sneaking the tapes out of their older brothers' rooms."
Don't expect a kinder, more genteel Mr. Mixx this Friday: The show will surely be rife with old hits and lots of audience participation on the floor and on the mike ("everyone wants their five seconds of fame," he says), along with selections from Mixx's upcoming CD, Vgnl Minded. "The company made us abbreviate that first word," says the DJ. "Don't ask me why." 9 p.m. Friday, July 8. 2107 Seawall Boulevard. For tickets and information, call 409-762-9696 or visit www.scottarnoldpc.com. $10. -- Scott Faingold
The Kelvin Arms's Frozen Lemonade
I arrive at the Kelvin Arms (2424 Dunstan, 713-528-5002) with my drinking companion, the Duchess. Bush is on the jukebox, and a couple of women who can barely stay on their stools are downing Merlot and having a loud conversation. I insist we sit next to them. We order two frozen lemonades and a Frito pie to share, and it's not long before we've struck up a conversation with the Merlot guzzlers. Liz, the more coherent one, introduces us to her shit-faced sidekick, Andrea, who immediately announces that her husband is rich, and a little later slips off her stool and bangs her head on the bar. The staggering part is that they order another round. Not two sips later, Liz is trying to carry Andrea to the car. Captain Save-a-Drunk (the bartender) comes to the rescue, scooping Andrea up, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her to the car. The Duchess comes back from the water closet to find our highbrow, low-bottom friends gone. She coyly tells me that she just pissed on her flip-flops. At first, that doesn't strike me as a big deal. But as we head for the door, it hits me: How does a woman piss on her flip-flops from a seated position?
4 ounces chilled McCormick vodka
4 ounces lemonade concentrate
2 cups ice
The Kelvin Arms makes this drink in a margarita machine. If you don't have one handy, just put the above ingredients in a blender. The concentrate will keep it from tasting watered down. Frito pie optional and probably not a good idea. -- Jason Kerr
Dedicated to Trance
THU 7/7
If sipping a dry martini and listening to underground house music in one of Houston's most chilled-out clubs is your definition of a good time, head over to the Social for DJ Ben Clark's "Dedicated" party. Some may remember the prior incarnation of this weekly happening, which was at the Underground Lounge. That gig ended, but Clark kept pushing his underground house tracks. Soon, the Social came calling and Clark launched his new monthly night with Mike W. "It's just good people, good music, good times and a nice place to gather," says Clark. We'll drink to that. 9 p.m. Thursday, July 7. 3730 Washington Avenue. For information, call 713-426-5585 or visit www.thesocialinfo.com. Free. -- Travis Ritter
Get Some Sunshine
WED 7/13
These days, it's the rare hipster dance remix that doesn't have the name Tommie Sunshine attached to it. The Brooklyn-based DJ has remixed everyone from faux-hawkers Louis XIV and the Killers to faux-rockers Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne. The bearded, sunglasses-wearing Sunshine is bringing his "Degeneration" night back to Houston for the first time since Valentine's Day. And judging by his fashion sense, we think he might throw Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night" in the set. 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. 1415 California. For information, call 713-522-7066 or visit www.myspace.com/boysandgirlsclub1415. $5 to $7. -- Travis Ritter
