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Champagne Wishes
Coming to Prive, the former site of the historic London Chop House, Warren hip-hop artist Franki Venee will test her chops where iconic singers like Frank Sinatra once frequented.
“This is a chance to see how the past and present have blended into what Detroit is and is going to be,” says George Greenough, co-owner of promotions company Factory Productions.
Venee, who has been on the Detroit music scene for the last few years, will celebrate the release of her latest single, “Champagne Wishes” this Friday. The singer/songwriter’s familiarity with gospel, hip-hop, rock and Latin allow her to create a unique R&B crossover sound, and with her soft voice, the Memphis-born singer subtly commands her audience.
“The event is a great opportunity to be part of something that is going to grow quickly,” Greenough says. “Franki's career is beginning to accelerate starting here in Detroit. This is the start of a four-city tour to include Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta and Miami. We are expecting a diverse group of ages and ethnicities all having an appreciation for great music.”
9 p.m. Friday, Prive Ultralounge, 155 W. Congress, Detroit, 313.965.6560. $10
NextAid's "World AIDS Day" Benefit Event
NextAid, the Los Angeles-based humanitarian organization, is helping unite North American dance music communities from coast to coast with the 20th annual World AIDS Day. Held at bars and clubs around the country this month, the festivities will help raise funds and awareness for kids in Africa who have been orphaned due to the AIDS pandemic.
Each event will donate a portion of their proceeds to NextAid in an attempt to reach the goal of $29,000. The funds raised will help complete NextAid’s pilot project -- the construction of a home for children orphaned by AIDS in Dennilton, South Africa.
On Saturday, the party-with-a-cause will be held at the Park Bar with DJs Stacey Pullen and Mike Brown providing the soundtrack.
Other stops have included Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Phoenix and Washington DC. The tour will hit several other places, including Brooklyn, Santa Monica and Chicago in the coming weeks.
“Even in these tough financial times, we can all do something to help those less fortunate,” says the globe-trotting New Jersey-based DJ Louie Vega in a statement, who performed a NextAid event on Dec. 3 in New York City. “I just can’t think of a worthier cause than children whose parents have died of AIDS in Africa. NextAid is the right organization for anyone involved in house music to support. They are based in the dance music community and they are actually doing the work on the ground in Africa, so you know your contribution is making a real difference.”
10 p.m.-4 a.m. Saturday, Radio Skool, the Park Bar, 2040 Park Ave., Detroit, 313.962.2933. $15 before 1 a.m and, $20 after.
Under the Mistletoe with The Playhouse Dolls
The holiday season gets an early start at Double 6 Lounge as 15 Playhouse Dolls of TPD Entertainment break out their alluring holiday outfits for the first-ever Christmas party collaboration.
DJ Donovan Tate will bang out the holiday beats, X-Generation, a Detroit ‘90s tribute rock band, is set to perform and there is even a special appearance by a nightclubbin' Santa Claus scheduled. TPD Entertainment reps informed proper dress attire is required.
The Playhouse Dolls, just over a year old, are a group of models who are hired out for events, fashion shows and work as shot girls and go-go dancers. For more information, visit www.TPD-Entertainment.com.
10 p.m. Saturday, Double 6 Lounge, Fountain Walk 44325 12 Mile Rd., Novi, 248.374.3420
Grown Folks Business Vol. 2
Party like a rock star while rubbing elbows with Detroit business makers this Saturday at Studio 51.
“Grown Folks Business volume two is for the grown, sophisticated, socialites,” says promoter Anthony Temple of Good People Entertainment who is working with Studio C and Leaders of the Social Climax on this event. “This event is sexy, mature and intimate."
A lingerie show by local Detroit boutique Teaser’s Where? (18985 Livernois) will be held in a heated and furnished outdoor tent. There will be free chair massages, gourmet cuisine by Chef D’Andre and a VIP lounge. FM98 WJLB’s DJ Polo will provide the sounds.
"This event is a contrast of the wild and edgy parties that you come across on Saturday nights," Temple says. “It is also a great opportunity to meet some of the city's movers and shakers.”
9 p.m. Saturday, Studio 51, 1995 Woodbridge, Detroit, 313.393.0051. $10
Jingle Mingle
Join the Social Connection Wednesday (Dec. 17) as they put together one of Detroit’s largest holiday parties at the Fillmore.
Taking a break from their usual November holiday charity event, Thanks for Giving, Regina Stocco, president of the Social Connection, decided to “do something that will really be a win win for everybody.
“We kind of came up with an amalgamated event that fits the needs of what we were trying to do from a charity standpoint and mixed it in with what the community needs. We think times are so tough and morale is so low.”
To help companies alleviate some of the pinch of annual holiday shindigs, admission to the Jingle Mingle is free. Twenty dollars gets you a VIP upgrade that includes food on the mezzanine level. DJ Tommy Holiday will be on hand to help you get your dance on along with the help of a full premium cash bar. RSVP sign up, tickets and details are available at www.DetroitsLargestOfficeParty.com.
The Social Connection, a Ferndale-based company that organizes events for singles, will provide a collection center at the Fillmore to collect non-perishable food, toys and monetary contributions that will benefit the Capuchin Soup Kitchen and Toys For Tots. Guests who make a contribution to the collection center will have their names entered to win two tickets to the Resolution Ball 2009 New Year’s Eve Party at The Fillmore.
5 p.m.-midnight, Dec. 17, the Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave, Detroit, 313.961.5450.
Ese Esan's nightlife column the D-scene appears every Thursday in the Detroit Free Press' Play magazine. It goes live on Metromix.com Tuesday night. Email her party invites, after-dark news and club-related notes to eesan@metromix.com.
