Way too few DJs manage to do anything original; many just seem to play the same records and never dare to venture outside the box. There's no room for mediocrity in a good DJ, and we're glad Squincy Jones figured this one out. As co-founder of the genre-splitting night Speakerboxx at The Backroom with his partner Dayta, he's pushed as many boundaries and/or genres as he can find into one DJ set. From guilty pleasure '80s to the latest in electro or local hip-hop, he's throwing it all in a pot and cooking a big kick-ass stew of "I don't give a fuck and I'm going to make you dance your ass off."

Kofi is a perennial favorite, and winner, of Best of Houston®. In fact, you might think there's not another drag queen in town, but Tuesday nights at JR's Bar & Grill prove differently. The show starts at 11 p.m. as Kofi dances and lip-synchs to songs from the diva collection. Beforehand, at 9 p.m., the bar hosts Drag Queen Bingo, which is pretty much bingo with drag queens. Kara and Sofanda are regular number callers. (Proceeds from the event are donated to charity.) Still, Kofi manages to steal the show. Even if drag queens aren't your thing, check her out.

The Alley Theatre's production of Theresa Rebeck's The Scene was one of the most deliciously disturbing productions of the season. Focusing on an out-of-work actor who spirals out of control, the story managed to make many wonderfully wry observations about the current human condition. Everything from television to overeating to vapid sex got a moment to shine in all its glorious hideousness. But the script, for all its cleverness, would not have been worth much without the great cast that director Jeremy B. Cohen put together. Each of the four actors in the show seemed born for their parts. Jeffrey Bean raged with brilliant craziness as broken Charlie; Elizabeth Bunch was equally terrific as beautiful bitch Clea; Liam Craig was yummy as quiet and kicked-about sidekick Lewis; and the only thing wrong with Elizabeth Rich as the much-abused Stella was that we didn't get to see more of her. Put them all together, and the four actors plus their director made theatrical dynamite.

The Bayou City Art Festival isn't just the best in Houston — it's among the best events of its kind in the country, frequently ranking among the top five festivals in Sunshine Artist magazine, the result of a vote by participating artists. BCAF is actually two festivals, or rather one festival that happens twice a year, once downtown and once in Memorial Park. Both are juried fine-art events that attract more than 300 artists working in 19 different media, including glass, photography, sculpture and painting. There are plenty of performing artists as well, with two stages that have a full ­schedule of dance and music. There's also a Creative Zone where budding Rembrandts can try their hands at making masks, wax hand sculptures and painted rocks. While it's a lot of fun, BCAF is also serious business. During the past 37 years, the festival has raised more than $2.5 million for local charities.

Michael Somoroff (the mastermind behind the Rothko Chapel installation Illumination I) took more than two dozen photographs from legendary German photographer August Sander's collection "People of the Twentieth Century" and removed the people. His meticulous touch-ups made it look as if they were never there: In Pharmacist, all that was left was a tall bush next to a brick wall; in Blind Children, two open books on a table; and in Working Class Family, an empty chair. Somoroff spent more than two years reworking Sander's pieces, and even went as far as to animate some of the images so that leaves and books' pages subtly rustle in the wind, furthering the emptiness of each piece. Somoroff's process made these more than just ordinary scenes; the absence of the subject, as it were, put everything into a context that induced goose bumps and our appreciation of patience.

There may be some high-dollar underground poker rooms in the city, but Maxwell's Carwash ain't one of them. Located on the far north side of Houston, in a bright blue, wood-paneled building, the car wash isn't a large-scale operation, but there's an open lot and cleaning supplies out front. And there are some serious bones being thrown here. The domino games get pretty intense, so don't try to sit in if you don't know your game. A card game pops up from time to time, but the old-timers pretty much stick to dominos. Cold beer served from a cooler is a bonus.

If you noticed a lack of Give Up wheat-paste posters around town earlier this year, it's because the Give Up guy/gal had gone fishin'. Well, actually he (or she) was taking a vacation in the Pacific Northwest, collecting inspiration for his (or her) latest works. His (or her) return prompted plenty of eerie treasures picturing trees, spooky figures in the forest and woodland creatures. His (or her) change of pace was appreciated, because the only thing worse than looking at the same wall day after day is looking at the same kind of poster on that wall day after day.

We really mean what we say when we call this place hidden — it's on the side of a crumbling strip mall on an obscure side street off Willowbend Boulevard, which is never one of the first streets you think of when you think Houston nightlife. And then there are the train tracks nearby. Still, this little beer joint has two things going for it: an amazing jukebox compiled by somebody with a doctorate in honky-tonk and a concentration in Cajun/swamp-pop studies — as exemplified by its inclusion of damn near the complete works of Gary Stewart and Cookie and the Cupcakes. And it also sports one of the most amazing bar murals in town. One wall is entirely given over to a stylized study of a West Texas town dwarfed by a mountain range, with one of the peaks in full volcanic eruption. The aging biker and roughneck regulars have never met a stranger, so belly up and grab a can of Bud while it's still the American thing to do.

When it comes to music, there's seldom the chance to correctly use the word pioneer in describing an artist. However, when it comes to Mike Dean, nobody would argue the validity of those two words being used in one sentence. He's singlehandedly shaped Houston's hip-hop sound for some time, and the roster of rappers he's worked with is longer than you can imagine. He's worked with everyone from Tupac to Kanye — yes, that Tupac, and really, that Kanye. UGK, The Geto Boys, Devin the Dude and Z-Ro...no other man has had such an influence over the sounds of the Bayou City and brought so many to an international audience.

Modern and warm, chic and cozy, The Black Swan is the perfect oasis whether you're a guest at the Omni Hotel or a fashionable urbanite looking for a great night out. Just steps away from the highly praised restaurant Noe inside the hotel, marble black swans greet patrons as they enter. Inside, there's a granite bar backlit with soft blue and green, but this is more of a lounge than a true pub. Suede chairs arranged to create private nooks, wood floors and walls, flat-screen TVs and great food and drinks make this a relaxing escape. Try the curry-fried calamari or the Kobe beef hamburger, and wash them down with a lavender mojito, a white ginger cosmo or just a simple beer. Live jazz is played on Thursday evenings, and a DJ takes control weekend nights. But no matter when you go, it'll be well worth it.