Beneath a dim barroom light, Jon Styles walks onto the makeshift stage and takes the microphone. As the singer eases into Live’s 1994 hit “I Alone,” the crowd hoots and hollers with approval. “It’s easier not to be wise / And measure these things by your brains,” he begins with restrained intensity before unleashing the howling chorus. It’s Friday night and karaoke at the Tiburon Tavern is one of the hottest tickets ... Read Story
It’s been a while since I’ve prowled the lower reaches of the downtown club scene and even longer since I’ve participated in the ever-popular collegiate State Street Crawl. But in the last few months there have been some noteworthy changes, and a new arrival on the nightclub landscape is hard to resist. Such trusted options for stiff drinks and go-go-ogling as Joe’s Café and the Wildcat Lounge have become venerable ... Read Story
When I drove westward from Boston in search of a new place to live, I assumed it would be a town with a healthy gay scene; from what I’d heard about California, the only people who didn’t frequent gay bars were nuns. And then I found Santa Barbara. Giddy on the mountains, the ocean, sunbathing in October, I let myself believe it was possible that one of those bar fronts ... Read Story
Things haven’t been the same since good old Thomas Edison figured out how to light up the night. The rhythms of life have been forever changed by that electrifying discovery, with ever-increasing hordes of party people choosing to get down after sundown. Though I am pretty sure it wasn’t his intention, Edison’s big turn-on was a stroke of genius that has since illuminated countless dance floor dreams and libation-soaked evenings. ... Read Story
Goleta & I.V. Beachside Café – 5905 Sandspit Rd., 964‑7881. El Capitán Canyon – Adjacent to El Capitán State Beach, 685‑8522. The Mercury Lounge – 5871 Hollister Ave., 967‑0907. Monty’s Sports Bar – 5114 Hollister Ave., 683‑1003. Old Town Tavern – 261 Orange Ave., 967‑2403. Zodo’s – 5925 Calle Real, 967‑0128. Uptown Ahi Sushi – 3631 State St., 687-6942. Alcazar – 1812 Cliff Dr., 962‑0337. Cold Spring Tavern – 5995 Stagecoach Rd., 967‑0066. Creek Side Inn – 4444 Hollister Ave., 964‑5118. Crocodile Restaurant and Bar – 2819 State St., 687‑6444. El Encanto ... Read Story
No matter what you have planned for the evening, the fun has to start somewhere. And, in a town stuffed to the gills with bars, restaurants, wannabe L.A. lounges, and somewhat seedy dives, deciding where to warm up your engines can be daunting. When the rat race releases its daily grip on your soul and the brain in your stomach pains for libations and platters of food, the questions begin ... Read Story
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