You might not think of lower Haight Street as the site of a major gay dance spot, but if you go to 424 Haight Street, you'll find it at Underground SF. There aren't any other gay gathering places for blocks. The intersection of Fillmore and Haight, near the club, is an international mix of restaurants — we saw Japan, India, Mexico, and more represented. There's a used CD/record place close by, in case you hear something at Underground SF that you'd like to own.
The place describes itself as "one of the coolest venues in San Francisco. We are open every night of the week with the best in clubs from all walks of life, be it Hip Hop on Mondays, Shelter drum & bass on Tuesdays, Holding Firm Reggae on Sundays and the long-running gay destination Drunk N Horny on Saturdays, to numerous other monthly parties, we are the place to be in the lower Haight. Featuring nightly drink specials, specialty cocktails, beautiful bartenders, a smoking patio, and a sweaty dance floor, we welcome you to come down to the Underground SF and dance your ass off!"
We got to Underground SF on a Friday afternoon, one of two times a week that it opens early for Happy Hour. Owner Sean Cipriano came out lugging something. Just about everyone calls him Cip, and he works just about every day the club is open. The bar's on the right as you come in, with a big screen for videos on your left. What appear to be rows of red dots are on the back wall, but those are reflections from the giant disco ball, explains Cipriano. It just hasn't been turned on yet.
The tap selections at Underground SF are above average. You can quench it with Blue Moon from Oregon, or Stella d'Artois. An unusual local selection is Prohibition Porter, a very dark brew created right here in San Francisco. Most popular distilled spirit, Cipriano tells us, is Ketel One.
Cipriano used to own the well-regarded My Place South of Market, and opened Underground SF about three years ago. He also operated a live-music venue called The Pond on Third near Cargo, in the Bayview area. A New York expatriate, he also owns Insipid Productions, which promotes heavy metal concerts of groups on the level of Anthrax. He's in a relationship, and his other is working on his Ph.D.
The main gay event is "Drunk and Horny," which takes every Saturday. It's a 90% LGBT event, estimates Cipriano. Admission is free for the first hour, so get to the Underground by 9 p.m. and save five bucks. Disc jockeys are Big Red and Sparky. Cipriano describes the music as party and dance classics from the 70s on. "It's campy!" he exclaims.
On Friday, March 7, is the next edition of the club's Gothic event Die, Die My Darling!, described as "an unromantic evening of the gravest hits of death rock." Cipriano always enjoys looking at the dancing dudes with white make-up. He describes it as "an evening of death rock and batcave classics, with DJs Dead Meat, Deathboy and Lori Lust." It's hosted by El D. It's got a $5 cover, but you can stoke up with $1 well drinks from 9-10 p.m., and there are drink specials all night.
If you don't want to be a night owl, you can enjoy Happy Hour at Underground SF from 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. The special deal is $1 off everything, including those gourmet brews referred to above.
Both Monistat and Cookie Dough have hosted fundraising events at the club. One event raised money to send trannies to Hawaii. Cipriano tells us that the club has participated in Bar AIDS, in which at least 25% of the proceeds have gone to Stop AIDS and other worthy causes. So for a rockin' exposure to just about every kind of dance music, come to the underground, Underground SF.
Underground SF, 424 Haight St., SF. Open 4 p.m.-2 a.m., Thu. & Fri.; 9 p.m.-2 a.m., Sat.; 10 p.m.-2 a.m., Sun. to Wed. www.myspace.com/undergroundsf