With a sexy combination of nightlife traditions and new innovations, the monthly Pound Puppy events at The Eagle (and a few other venues) have become one of the more popular and diverse parties, with a range of bear cubs, queens, gogo guys in dog masks, and even a barber cutting hair. Fans can get a double dose of doggy debauchery this month, when the Pound Puppy guys bring their crew to The Eagle on Saturday, September 13, and at F8 for a pre-Folsom affair on September 20.
Two of Pound Puppy's producers, Jorge Portillo and Blake Cedric, shared why their event attracts such a diverse fun crowd.
"I think it comes from the people that we as promoters kind of gravitate towards," said Portillo. "We all come from an eclectic group of people. We come from different communities, and we thought it would be amazing to bring them together."
Portillo, 34, is also part of the Hard French collective, which brings soul music and daytime dancing to El Rio, along with annual balls in Santa Cruz and elsewhere. Cedric, 31, has organized events in Seattle and Portland. Kevin O'Connor and Oscar Pineda are also Pound Puppy producers.
"Because of these connections," said Portillo, "we were able to generate that kind of crowd."
Cedric agreed, saying, "We decided to do something where we can bring people from different scenes and different walks of life together; drag queens and bears and chubby chasers, and get them all under one space. We wanted to make the Eagle a happening place again."
Since its renovations and celebrated reopening in March 2013, The Eagle has been home to a variety of new monthly events, including Michael Brandon's kink-themed Sadistic Saturdays, DJ Bus Station John's popular post-beer bust Disco Daddy on Sundays (since June 2013), and the Los Angeles-based Boulet Brothers' Dragula. Pound Puppy's second Saturdays joined the line-up early this year.
"The Eagle was getting a lot of older patrons," said Cedric. "But there wasn't really a new scene." Pound Puppy's events have been held monthly for less than a year, but have gained a loyal following.
Despite the recent closing of a few gay bars, do the Pound Puppy guys feel like they're part of a small renaissance in local nightlife?
"Definitely," said Cedric. "We want to set the tone for San Francisco and inspire other people. More and more parties are popping up. We hope we're an inspiration for other people who want to do something like this. It goes to show that it can be done, sometimes with a line around the block."
So, what was the inspiration for the canine theme? Portillo explained.
"The puppy theme is a nuance of sex culture, underground leather culture, and sort of new age of sexy parties," he said. "We sort of latched onto that idea. There's a new way of sharing underground culture. It's no longer just about leather, but also about new subcultures, so we took that theme. It's really cool that's it's a specific fetish. But our event is more a representation of a new wave of kink."
As part of a mostly younger community, the Pound crew exemplify a more playful and less formal take on kink.
"There is a new culture of sex-positive people," said Portillo. "It's no longer just about wearing gear. And there are different ways of being in a subculture. There are no formal rules of what it means to be a part of the leather community."
Cedric added, "We're reclaiming it and turning it into a new generation of fetish fans."
But the studly gogo guys who occasionally don dog masks, aren't the only attractions. The music, a combination of deep house and electro grooves, spun by resident DJs Taco Tuesday and Chip Mint (and occasional guest DJs), maintains an energetic mood.
"We like to have guest DJs from up and down the coast to keep things fresh," said Portillo. "For our Folsom party, we have Men's Room DJs Harry and Jpeg in from Chicago. They hold one of the most amazing parties in Chicago right now." Also on the line-up are Jeffery Sfire from Detroit and Robot Hustle from the San Francisco collective Honey Soundsystem.
"We like to feature DJs from our community, and not only gay men," said Portillo. "We've had women, and a DJ who is super-queer but a straight man. We like to rotate them and have a good variety."
Cedric noted one particular difference with their canine events.
"We also don't do any live music; no performances or drag numbers," he said. "You control the night; it can go in whatever direction you want. A lot of times a performance brings things to a stand-still. "Hey it's midnight! Stop everything and look at the show!' We prefer to keep it more free, a bit dark and sexy."
Not that there aren't various unusual aspects as well, such as handsome barber Tony DiCaro clipping hair and beards (see sidebar) and the occasional demonstration with gear from event sponsor Mr. S Leather.
"My intention was to have something going on in each room," said Portillo. "You could walk around and be interactive, but you don't have to stand there. It's about ambiance and making people feel comfortable. You don't have to engage in all of it. But you can feel comfortable and exited."
Excited would be the appropriate term for the appreciation shown to Pound Puppy's crew of dancers, not gogo boys, but men.
"We like to find all kinds of guys," said Cedric, who hires a variety of men, including local porn performer Adam Ramzi. "It does help to get porn stars, but we do include regular guys who are also really sexy."
And what does the team have planned for their pre-Folsom event at F8?
"This is our introduction to Folsom Street Fair and that community," said Portillo. "We've established ourselves over the last year within the fetish community. This is our way of literally pushing ourselves forward, saying we're here."
With their multi-city connections, are there any plans to take Pound Puppy on the road?
"We'll see what happens," said Portillo. "For now, we're happy at home. The F8 party will include people from all over the world who are in town for Folsom. Definitely get there early."
With this year's Magnitude taking place the same night on Treasure Island, some people may prefer a more easily accessible kinky event like Pound Puppy.
"Ours is a smaller environment that's different than a circuit or Castro party," said Portillo. "There's nothing wrong with that, but we're definitely trying to create a new vibe, a new subculture of people and give it a voice. We're doing our best to honor our past and make a future."
For updates, visit the Pound Puppy Facebook page: www.facebook.com/oscarblake.jorgekevin