An 80's Style Birthday Celebration

Saturday night, I headed down to SoHo for a birthday celebration with my cousin Chris and ten of my best galpals.

Happy Birthday: Making a wish over a candle-lit slice of ricotta cheesecake

The evening’s festivities kicked off at Petrarca, an Italian bistro long on great service, delicious pasta and excellent wines. Over a delicious dinner (creamless cauliflower puree soup and risotto with porcini mushrooms for me), we talked about my friend Andrea’s new PR gig and the fun of being flooded with birthday wishes via Facebook.

Girls Night Out: (counterclockwise from right): Leila, Sara, me, Caroline, Rachel and Bobbi at Canal Room

After dinner, we headed over to my favorite NYC nightspot Canal Room, which graciously comped our admission for the show. Performing was my favorite 80’s tribute band, Rubix Kube.

Rubix Kube: Best 80’s tribute band ever

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Rubix Kube a handful of times and they never disappoint. I was especially excited when keyboardist Rich Forman gave me a birthday shoutout.

What could be better than celebrating with good friends and revisiting the music of your childhood? I found out when I jumped on stage and rocked it out with lead singer Scott Lovelady.

A Little Respect: Rubix Kube’s Scott and I jammed to the 80’s Erasure hit

You can enjoy the sounds of Rubix Kube most Saturdays at Canal Room. The band will also be part of Canal Room’s Help For Haiti benefit concert on Wednesday February 3rd, featuring four tribute bands. Tickets are $20, click here for more info.

Rubix Cube Redux

Last Saturday, my friend Lauren and I enjoyed a girls night out at O’Flanagan’s my favorite neighborhood pub.

A fellow travel PR maven, Lauren was the first person I connected with in the industry back in ‘04, when I was making the jump from TV news. We hit it off immediately during an informal networking lunch. I remember thinking if travel PR attracts fabulous women like her, this is the business for me.

Girls Night Out: Lauren (far right) and me rocking out to Rubix Cube with our new friends at O’Flanagan’s

After talking shop for a few minutes about representing Australian destinations, we moved onto more pressing matters -- like our shared New Year’s resolution to do more mingling with the opposite sex and make sure we’re having plenty of fun along the way.

To that end, we joined new friends Lori and Jamie on the dance floor to the groovy 80’s sounds of Rubix Kube.

Rubix Kube: The crème de la crème of 80’s cover bands

I first caught Rubix Kube at SoHo’s Canal Room last summer. The band was even more entertaining the second time around, and I was especially delighted when keyboard player Rich Forman made this special dedication --

“This goes out to all the single gals in the city here.”

As Rubix Kube kicked into high gear with classics from Erasure’s “A Little Respect” to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy,” Lauren and I burned off our holiday indulgence with a little booty shaking.

During “Billie Jean,” I joined a male reveler in the center of the floor and we danced like it was 1985 while the crowd cheered us on.

It was well after 2am when we called it a night. I was exhausted but exhilarated, knowing that this is just the beginning of what is shaping up to be a great year. How could it be otherwise with my 35th birthday later this month and my long-awaited return to Australia just a few days away?

Girls Night Out: 80's Fun with Rubix Kube

The other night, my good friend Caroline and I headed down to my favorite SoHo nightclub, the Canal Room, for a musical stroll down retro memory lane with 80’s cover band, Rubix Kube (http://www.rubixkube.com/).

After sipping a few cosmos (mixed to perfection by bartender Danielle), we parked ourselves in front of the stage. The show began with snippets of classic 80’s films like “Top Gun,” and “E.T.” Then, for the next two hours, Rubix Cube presented a nostalgic set of classics from the era of leg warmers and jelly bracelets.

From “Video Killed The Radio Star” and “Hey Mickey” to “Get Into The Groove” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Rubix Cube took us back in time, delivering an electrifying mix of 80’s hits performed with great energy and perfect pitch. The band wasn’t exaggerating when they thanked the crowd for being great back-up singers -- we sang along to every word.

By the time Rubix Cube performed their encore -- a rousing rendition of “Livin’ On A Prayer” -- Caroline and I had given new meaning to that 80’s catchphrase let’s get physical by working up a major sweat from dancing.

Cosmos, a dear friend, and a great cover band -- the ideal ingredients for a perfect night out!