Global Freezing: WinterSkol in Aspen.

Winterskol: Having Fun since 1951.Dude, I like it cold... but this is ridiculous.   It's been sub-zero atop Aspen Mountain and in town for three days straight. WinterSkol and beautiful sunny Colorado skies could not off-set the fact that it's freezing. A. Party is not complaining...I'm "all in for GLOBAL FREEZING".   Actually the cold invigorates me. I'm happy its frigid.  I'm a HUGE fan of Winter.  Lack of freshies has made me crazy...so I sort of like getting a brain-freeze, while flying down the super-duper hard packed slopes of Ajax.  Mid January in Aspen means WINTERSKOL our annual celebration of Winter.  "Getting it done since 1951"  Aspen's Winterskol began as a ploy to attract more tourists to Aspen during the dog days ... the post-holiday lull... and it's always freezing.  That fierce, penetrating cold that only people who love Winter like. Canine Fashion Show. Click 4 pix.

Click 4 pix.  GLOBAL FREEZING.

WinterSkol has evolved into a HUGE weekend, complete with SoupSkol, a canine fashion show, spa treatments, yoga, concerts, ski races free beer and a full on swag fest thanks to Women's Health and Men's Health Magazines.  As always the "freebie tent" at the base of Ajax is FREE & Open to the public.  Grab a bag full of swag...why not?  Food, beer, air hockey, models, tons of free stuff etc..etc.    The dogs came out in the sub zero temps for the annual canine fashion show.  Free hot dogs and kettle corn and about 40 dogs dressed to impress greeted the crowds. Always a  blast.

Everybody love SoupSkol. Click 4 pix.SoupSkol... is always an extremely popular event. It was extra special this year due to the Global Freezing. Honestly, when its less than  zero degrees...there's nothing better than 50 sample sized cups of fresh, steaming hot soup.  This year's Winner:The SQUARE GROUPER is not even open yet.  My boyiee Michael Goldman (co-owner) will be debuting Square Grouper this spring on restaurant row in Aspen.  Congratulations to Square Grouper, wininng SoupSkol a tremendous accomplishment.  Can't wait until spring.

The Spazmatics never disappoint at Belly Up, Aspen.  The nerd-rock cover band plays all the hits from the 80's.  Two hours of solid gold.  The ladies liked it.  Free Beer is always appreciated in Aspen.  Many thanks to Bud & Bud Light.

Next up:  Gay Ski Week. Oh yeah...i'm up for the cover (see photo below).  Aspen...it's a trip that never end's.

Click 4 Pix:  Global FreezingSpa treatments and lots of freebies in the Women's & Men's Health Tent. Click 4 pixThe Spazmatics at Belly Up, Aspen. Click 4 pix.

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Best in Show: Queen Victoria w/ her master Gemma. Click for pix.

 Andy Party vying for the cover of Men's Health. Click 4 pix. Photo: Exposed Aspen

Mad Hatter's Ball

The 3 finalists at The Mad Hatter's BallAs part of the Winterskol 2013 festivities, The Aspen Historical Society resurrected an Aspen tradition from the 70's...The Mad Hatter's Ball. The Mad Hatter's Ball is part competition, part fashion show, part rock show and entirely fun. 

Click 4 pix:  MAD HATTER's BALL

Earlier in the evening, The Aspen Freshman Class matriculated at the Aspen State Teachers College enduring the required class... ASPEN HISTORY 101.  Dr. Slats Cabbage and the gang from Aspen State kept the lecture fun and everyone who attended got a free beer.  The upper-classmen started to roll in later for the first renewal of the MAD HATTER'S BAll.  It was an impressive showing for sure to be annual modern-day incarnation of the festive celebration of self-expressionism.  It's pretty obvious that Aspenites enjoy any reason to dress up in costume...and they will do it at the drop of a hat.  In this case...the hats were the thing.  Over 100 Mad Hatter contestants lined up on stage at The Wheeler Opera House to compete in the "best hat" competition.  The hats were incredible, extremely diverse...and many were quite amazing.  It game down to the final 3.  The Bird Cage, the Gator, and the eventual winner...The Bell Mountain Bonnet (built to scale).  It was a fantastic show of head gear.  The contest was followed by a full on jam session from Aspen's favorite local band Jes Grew.  It was great to see The Wheeler Opera House rocking in the aisle.

CLICK 4 PIX: MAD HATTER's BALL

The Snowball at Mad Hatter's Ball. Click 4 pix.Hats, Hats, Hats. Click for pix.3 girls for every guy at Mad Hatter's Ball for Winterskol in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Jes Grew ...backstage at The Mad Hatter's Ball. Click 4 pix.Jam Session at Mad Hatter's Ball. Click 4 pix.

Not your Daddy's BOOMBOX.

BoomBox in Aspen. A great show. Click 4 pix.BoomBox the electronic-funk-rock, EDM duo stormed into Aspen last night to play a SOLD OUT show at Belly Up, Aspen.  Russ Randolph and Zion Rock Godchaux laid down their potent mixture of electronic programming and live instrumentation in Aspen as part of their nationwide Winter tour.  

Click for pix. BoomBox

The dance floor was the show as BoomBox wove their brand of psychedelic & funky house sounds around their signature backbeat causing the intimate building to come alive.  "It's all natural and it's all real time and that's why it's rock and roll" said Godchaux.  BoomBox mixes drums, keys, guitar and bass with electronic beats to create an organic and unique live experience.   BoomBox admitted that they try to go into each show with no game plan and feed off the energy of the crowd. "We're down to get down...and we hope that people are down with us" shared Randolph.

Honestly, AspenSpin  had no pre-conceived notion about BoomBox before the show. We weren't sure what to expect, but once the beats started to flow and the dance floor erupted in motion...we dug it..a lot.  BoomBox's set was almost like one long song...a single continuous jam...and the audience loved it.  As we learned during the recent Aspen Live Music Conference...Electronic Dance Music or EDM is currently in the sweet spot of the music business...and BoomBox is right there.   The demand for tickets outside the venue was very high as the show was sold out.  Inside the drinks and other extra curriculars were flowing.  The audience was young, excited, and in constant motion.   The smooth sounds of BoomBox and the freaky light show helped create a festival-like atmosphere in the small (capacity 450) club. Despite sub-zero temps outside...it was hot and sweaty inside for BoomBox.  The dance floor was mobbed with pretty young things and the boys who want to be with them. 

The BoomBox show in Aspen was a multi-sensory experience enjoyed by all in attendance.   "The room was definitely groovin" said A-Spin's Andy Party.  It was a long day and a long night, but we're sooooo glad we didn't miss BoomBox.  If BoomBox comes to your town...don't hesitate...get a ticket.  BoomBox is hot and getting hotter.  In fact they are playing 2 nights in Denver at the Ogden Theatre (Jaunary 4 & 5)...we're thinkin' about rolling down the hill to get some more BoomBox.

Click 4 pix:  BoomBox

The audience was a HUGE part of the show. BoomBox in Aspen. click 4 pix.We could feel the enrgy in the house. BoomBox in Aspen. Click 4 pix.Lots of pretty young things..and the boys who want them. BoomBox in Aspen. Click 4 pix.BoomBox and their funcky psychedelia crushed it in Aspen. Click 4 pix.

BoomBox @ Belly Up Aspen, Tonight. 1/3/13

The Party Wars / New Year's Eve 2013 in Aspen.

The Sky Hotel: A raging NYE Party in Aspen.It was a typical sh*t show for New Year's Eve 2013 in Aspen. The town was at 110% occupancy.  Every NYE event was sold out. There were 2 sets of fireworks, tons of extra security and more sparkly dresses and fur coats than anyone could count.

Click 4 pix:  THE PARTY WARS

As you know...everybody in Aspen goes huge...all the time...especially for New Year's Eve.  This year NYE seemed relatively uneventful; No bomb threat, no blizzard, no lingerie party...it was all pretty status quo.  Good clean fun.

This year, for safety reasons, we limited ourselves to the TBR...3 block radius.  We managed to squeeze in 4 events.  A private dinner (off the record), The Limelight Party, The Sky Hotel Party and last call at The Red Onion...our neighborhood favorite.

The Boyz pulled a rabbit out of their hat at The Limelight:  Christian Messner, Ian Mclendon and Peter Cohn threw their traditional NYE bash with a new and improved business model.   Lots of "fly-in" talent from L.A. and "drive-in" talent from Denver, and everyone left their inhibitions at the door. The potent mix included lots of international tourists, a few ski instructors, some ski bums and other locals.  The micro-est of mini-skirts and extended lines of credit described the scene.   Things went a little haywire after Midnight. 

Click the Pix:  THE PARTY WARS

THE SKY HOTEL took it to the next level with their annual New Year's Eve soiree.  This bash had more of an East Coast vibe with lots of friendly visitors from New York and Miami.  Beautiful people were everywhere.  "Open Bar ALL NIGHT" attracts a certain type of partier...those that like to pound cocktails. So things got crazy.  As midnight approached...anticipation ran high...the party was peaking.   Click: THE PARTY WARS

Security was tight.. Staying safe on NYE in Aspen.Our disciplined approach to NYE also had a "street" factor.  The Sky and The Limelight are only 3 blocks apart...so legally within our self-imposed TBR.  A little local birdy told us that the competing party promoters had some minor social skirmishes in the days leading up to NYE.  I'm happy to announce that both events were SOLD OUT.

Walking the streets after 1:30 on NYE provided some ripe photo-ops for Aspen Spin. The streets were filled with stumbling drunk revelers.  One last stop; our favorite, THE RED ONION.  Just to see what was what.  It was late...people had been partying hard.  The Onion had it going on.   The Best Bar Crew in town. Click: THE PARTY WARS.

It was a long night.  Happy New Year to everyone.  Happy and Healthy in 2013 from AspenSpin.

 CLICK: THE PARTY WARS.

Guess who won the Party? These guys had it going on at The Limelight. Click for more pix.The Usual Suspects at The Sky Hotel. ALL NIGHT LONG for NYE. Click 4 pix.California Girls going BIG in Aspen for NYE. Click for pix.This guy won a spontaneous "Dance Off" on NYE 2013 in Aspen. Click 4 pix. Last Call at The Red Onion. Click 4 pix.The BEST bar crew in Aspen. NYE 2013 at The Red Onion. Click for more sick pix.