View more photos in the “Nightranger: Mud & Lube Wrestling, Club Kids Gone Wild” slideshow.

FOXY AND FAMISHED

The MTV Movie Awards came to town last Sunday, and though Nightranger scored some invites for gifting suites and salon-a-thons where celebs hoard up freebies and beauty services (see the goodies had at Rohn Padmore’s Red Carpet swag-fest at El Tres Inn in our online slide show), the after-dark roster was pretty pitiful, at least compared with the usual biggie awards-season onslaught. Shindigs at teetering-on-tragic venues Mood, Opera and Crimson aside, an MTV popcorn–bannered prebash at Foxtail Friday night looked somewhat interesting, and since our last visit to the retro-chic eatery was so fab, we figured, why not? Maybe we’d even nibble on some of their delectable edibles. We got there early hoping for a table and the free champagne touted ’til 10:30 on the invite. Not only was there no comp bubbly as advertised, but, we learned, foodie haven Foxtail is no more. Apparently it’s been “nightclub only” since late last year. The cool ’70s-era Biba uniforms we once admired on the waitresses are gone, replaced by rotating “sexy-themed costumes,” as one skimpy pour pimptress explained. Friday it was a sports theme: jerseys, knee socks and little else. SBE may have its share of fancy food spaces (XIV, Katsuya and The Bazaar in SLS Hotel), all of which are pretty much faultless food- and ambiance-wise, but however late we may be in saying this, Foxtail the restaurant is missed.

 

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

The duo who got our butts out to the West Hollywood boîte in the first place, The EC Twins, a.k.a. the Eye Candy Twins, lately seem to be making quite an impact on the club scene. Don’t let the silly (if deserved: they’re cuties) name fool you. These look-alike U.K.-bred lads got skillz and, perhaps more appealing, they’ve got an enthusiasm about electronic music and an inclusive attitude about what its appeal should be. Spinning mostly at chichi spots like Hyde, Area and Ecco, the brothers seem out to prove that Hollywood’s bottle service–buyin’ bigwigs and their scant-skirted babes can be as open to nouveau electro as the neon-lovin’ neoraver kid crews. They’ve even formed a Facebook group, Wake Up L.A., around this philosophy. The twosome’s disco-techy torrent was going off in Foxtail’s upstairs (VH1 filmed them for something . hope they’re not being wooed to be the next Shot at Love! twins). Still, we don’t think the upscale club scene (which seems more concerned with “good girl-to-guy ratios” than actually pleasing us gals once we’re there) is ready to move beyond the hip-hop hit parade: The DJs in the ’Tail’s downstairs had an equally big crowd on the floor for what seemed like an endless 50 Cent/Flo Rida/Lil Wayne musical ménage. Check out the bros’ new beats (and some retro sounds too) when they return to Foxtail’s upstairs room again this Friday, June 5, for a “Totally Awesome ’80s Bash.”

 

MUCK ROCK

Getting dirty on the dance floor is one thing, but The Boulet Brothers (best known as co-promoters of Miss Kitty’s Parlour) took their usual sexy sludge to a whole new level later that night at The Dragonfly with their semi-annual mud-&-lube wrestling extravaganza. Gene Simmons famously joined the fetishy flocks in the maul mire at the club a couple of years ago (and filmed it for his Family Jewels show), and the event continues to inspire plenty of audience participation. Ultimately, it was the pros who really rocked and rolled, particularly the main-event tag-team bout that pitted “Racer Girls” against “Firefighters” (only evident before the costumes came flying off). It was fun to watch and shoot this one up close, if a bit expensive (our dry-cleaning bill will be huge, but worth it!). We think the Boulets are really on to something here, by the way. Mud-wrestling is so-o-o ’80s, which means it’s exactly the kind of filthy fun 20-something trendoids might dig right now. Look for more slingin’ B-boy soirees soon …

 

YOUTH GONE WILD

From pigpens to playpens, Nightranger finally got a chance to check out the family-geared Kidrockers series at The Echo last Sunday. (And no, the conflicting nature of our coverage this week — actually, most weeks — never escapes us.) We take our 2-year-old to as many happenings as appropriate, but bedtime and sheer volume are always parental concerns. Not at Kidrockers. The events are during the day, the bands — while bonafide indie artists we wanna see doing their own material — play to the tykes first and foremost, and the amps are turned up just enough to please both grown-up and li’l ears (no protective headphones necessary). Born in New York, the series has had everyone from Vivian Girls to Ra Ra Riot in NYC. In L.A., Dangerbird Records took over with Eulogies and One AM Radio last month. (With lineups like these and K.R.’s “adults must be accompanied by a kid” policy, it’s no surprise hip aunts and uncles and godparents alike are all for babysitting when the gathering comes to town.) Sunday, Langhorne Slim and One Trick Pony offered rock-trotting sets (the former’s folky grooves, according to creator Beth Marx Lorge, actually inspired her to create the series in the first place). Little ones of all ages stomped about a sea of Twister game mats on the floor, and joined each artist onstage to jam with maracas, but the non-musical portion of the event was just as uproarious. As with all Kidrockers parties, there was a Q&A session with the kids and performers. Sunday, one li’l guy got the grown-ups giggling — and left Slim a bit flustered — with this insightful query: “Did you always think about trying to be a player?” See Kidrockersusa.com for info on next month’s show, and in the meantime, rockin’ parents should return to the Echo for another daytime baby bopper: Ralph’s World and Lisa Loeb, this Sat., June 6, 10:30 a.m. P.S.: Even this early, they serve booze at the bar!

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