Somewhere in the middle lies Side Bar in downtown Fort Lauderdale: It’s doesn’t have the divey feel like Fat Cats and Poor House or the clubby feel like VooDoo Lounge and the Green Room. It’s more of a club/bar: No hats or shorts allowed. And, literally, it rests in the…

This past year, South Florida’s museums exhibited ancient Italian tapestries, even more ancient Chinese textiles, Norman Rockwell — OK, what we’re getting at is that none of this art came with a party, and we noticed. These exhibits failed to showcase lowbrow and radical art, local indie-rock bands, and avant-garde…

Even on a Tuesday, Feelgoods in West Palm Beach demands a strict dress code — it knows its bar flock will dress to the nines. It knows its patrons will shine their shoes as well as the jewels on their T-shirts — and that’s not just because it’s the only…

Thank you, Maracas, for settling yourself right off US1, right before Oakland Park Boulevard (3001 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale) earlier this year. Because US1, home also to the neighboring “B’s” — Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy — was a tad boring. And the opposite…

“Tuesdays at Monterey Club” should not be kept a secret. South Floridians, it would be hard to stumble upon another joint that offers such great tunes every week. Location: The Monterey Club is deserted in the middle of nowhere — AKA South Federal Highway on the way to the Fort…

Thursday night, Revolution will be full of hot bodies and cold blood. It’s going to be the adult version of Clue when the Fort Lauderdale-based burlesque troupe the Reckless Dames perform their “Death Becomes Her” murder mystery show. Here’s the setup: Each dame was killed, and her murder will be…

Ditch the goth, punk, or metal attire for the night and add white powder and red blood to your face. Wear a bikini or a banana hammock. Would a foaming mouth be too much? No, not Saturday night. Not at this show: It’s “zombie at the beach”-themed. Enough said… but…

Say adieu to solely watching the muscle-loving junkies break sweats at the gym, because the annual NPC Southern States Fitness, Figure, Bikini, and Bodybuilding Championships are back. Now, the competition of physique poses, pushups, and pull-ups will fill the War Memorial. Watch the bodybuilders — guys and gals, from teens…

Pine Island Park will bring in the Fourth with a family-filled pool, bounce houses, a climbing wall, country band Shadow Creek, and free birthday cake. Here in Davie, America’s independence will be symbolized with a World War I and II military tank, jeep, and equipment show. Shadow Creek will perform…

Sure, it’s fun getting the Rock Band together. You get to do your signature dance — the young Mick Jagger. You get to do your Gene Simmons impersonations — which are classic. You’re the vocals, the lead singer, the frontman — but, sadly, it’s been getting on your nerves lately…

The Poor House is the romantically gothic watering hole of downtown Fort Lauderdale. Years back, it was scummy and beautiful — and thought to be perfect as such. Then times changed, and there were some renovations. But, after some getting used to, the redecorating can only be seen as kick-ass…

On Thursdays, the street partiers come out once dusk descends upon the end of Clematis Street — it’s Clematis by Night, and there are live bands, food, and beer stations. It’s been in effect for 15 years now — that’s more than 700 nights filled with sidewalk shopping to the…

The free, quarterly indie mag WeMerge Magazine thrives when it comes to promoting local artists. Case in point: It held a cover-art contest for its eighth issue, which will be released June 1. The winner was Japanda, and now not only will her art don the cover but WeMerge plans…