cityxtra (cxn magazine) january 2012

Photography by Cedric Terrell

2 cityXtraMagazine.COM

IN EVERY ISSUE 14 Legal Corner 16 Religious Corner

PROFILE

08 Frank Adair aka Blossom O’Toole

DOWN TO BUSINESS

03 Content 10 Over $1800 FREE Cash 16 Legal Corner: Reasons You Need A Lawyer 20 Religious Corner: Unwrapping the Gift

COVER STORY

13 DJ Chord Bezerra: Washington DC

GAY TIMES LEGAL MATTERS

Can’t wait for the next issue? Get a sneak preview. Subscribe to feeds on our website, cityXtraMagazine.com, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Google+

IN OUR NEXT ISSUE

cityXtraMagazine.COM 3

08

CONTENTS VOL. 4, ISSUE 5

10

16

13

JACKSONVILLE

#616: 616 Park St. (904) 358-6969

Boot Rack: 4751 Lenox Blvd. (904) 384-7090 bootrack.com

Bo’s Club: 201 5th Ave. N. (Jax Beach) (904) 246-9874 bosclub.com

Club Jax: 1939 Hendricks Ave. (904) 398-7451

clubjax.com

Hamburger Mary’s: 3333-1 Beach Blvd. (904) 551-2048 hamburgermarys.com/jax

Incahoots: 711 Edison Ave.

(904) 353-6316

Park Place: 931 King St. (904) 389-6616

Metro: 859 Willow Branch Ave. (904) 388-7192 metrojax.com

The Norm: 2952 Roosevelt (904) 384-0029


nig

htlife

cityXtra Magazine Staff

Publisher: David Vandygriff [email protected]

Executive Editor: Louis Suffredini [email protected]

Creative Designer: Shane Johnson [email protected]

Director of Sales: Carlos Martinez [email protected]

cityXtra News Magazine is published by GLBT Advertising Inc.

2941 Plum Street Jacksonville, FL 32205 (904) 410-9592 Jacksonville Office

(321) 426-0296 Orlando Office www.cityxtramagazine.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Harvey Carr, Christ Church of Peace

Joey Amato, OUT Reach Public Relations

Dr. Doug Massengill, University of Lola Chicago

Sebastion Fortino, Project Manager

Contributing Writers

David Vandygriff, Mamie Joshlin, Joey Amato, Sebastion Fortino, Dr. Harvey Carr, Atty. Gordon

Nicol, Greg Henchar, Michael Smith

DEADLINE FOR FEB 15th

ISSUE IS FEB 5th

cityXtra Magazine is published 12 times per year. Reprints are available. Contact of contributing advertisers does not

reflect the opinions of the publisher. Advertisers have proofed respective articles, and content is assumed true and correct.

cityXtra is not responsible for the business dealings of its advertisers. cityXtra is for information purposes only.

cityXtra Magazine (TM). All rights reserved. The contents of this publication, including articles, may not be

reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Address changes should be submitted via e-mail to

[email protected]. Send story ideas and requests for article reprints to [email protected]

or call 904.410.9592 Jacksonville Office or 321.426.0296 Orlando Office.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Cedric Terrell

FROM OUR READERS

What our readers tell us cityXtra readers occasionally write to us or make comments online about our website, print magazine, and e-edition. Here are the

latest things they have to say: ““Thank you for the

Wine List in your November Issue. Please include more info such as this in future Issues.”

Got a great story to tell? We want to hear from you! We are

always on the lookout for great candidates to profile for our Cover

Story. Want to nominate yourself or someone you know let us know!

Comments or questions? Do you have comments about articles you’ve read or want to read? Good or bad, we’d like to hear from you. You can comment on articles online, or send your thoughts to the editor at

[email protected].

Follow us on Facebook to receive info on upcoming events and up-to-date

news. Facebook: cityxtramag


cityXtra


Written By: Michael Brayson

As the day comes to a close the news we all dreaded was announced. Frank Adair aka Blossom O’Toole passed on January 14, 2014 at 1:45 pm EST. You see Blossom was not your typi-cal female impersonator. He/She was more of a

comedian that wanted to make people laugh and have a good time. He was a kind soul that would flirt with every cute chicken that walked through the door. Frank was your typical 70 something year old that cared less about what people thought than your 21 year old would. He loved his poker and dear friend Jim, Founder of Faces in St Louis. When these two were together be ready for some heavy GOOD OLD Days conversations. I had the pleasure many times to talk with both and exchange stores of the Good Old Days. Oh what a time that was. I rather enjoyed those times I spent with them two. It could be a busy Saturday night at the club and they would tell the tells that would make you long for the Gay Days of past yester year. The days when clubs were packed, people flirted, NO GRINDER, no cell phone distractions, but rather a time when people had real conversations and YES hooked up. As I sit here once again writing a story about a

dear lost friend I have to stop and reflect upon Blossom’s many talents. He would make you laugh, walk barefoot on the stage, scoot across the dance floor, smile and the OMG the laugh! He entertained us, was our friend, a member of our community & family, and a retired Navy Master Chief. No matter your age Blossom or Frank always had a story to tell you and made you feel important. His smile from across the bar and uncanning comedic ways to lighten the mood will truly be missed by all. May you rest in peace our dear friend and God speed! Send Richard & Mike our best and you girls have a drag show that only heaven can host. Till we meet again, go and rest now my friend. Please if you do one thing today hug your friends

& families and make amends for a broken friend-

ship. Time is simply too short and precious!!!

FRANK ADAIR: Blossom O’Toole


OVER $1800 FREE CASH Written By: Kaye Taylor

Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Every year businesses give away thousands of dollars in free money and gift cards as a way of promoting their websites/products. We’ve put together a list of 16 of them who will give you a ridiculous $1,810.25 in free cash right now.

Some of them are as simple as filling out a form and some of them take a bit more effort, but you can easily knock out all of them in a couple of hours.

Without further ado, here are the 16 companies giving out free money right now…. 1. Look at Your Budget on Per-sonalCapital.com – FREE $10.00 PersonalCapital.com, a portfolio management site, will give you $10 just to open a free account! For those of you who aren’t fa-miliar with PC, their site reminds me a lot of Mint.com. Basically,

you input your account informa-tion and then their website helps you track your investments, credit card balances and

changes to your checking/savings accounts. Here’s how to grab the $10… 1. Sign up for PersonalCapi-tal.com using my referral link. The bonus is paid out via Paypal, so my advice is to signup for Personal Capital us-ing your Paypal email address. 3. Add your financial account(s) to your Personal Capital dashboard. You must link at least one account in order to get the bonus. 4. Wait 30 days. Unfortunately, this bonus takes up to a month to pay out, but it’s free money so can I really complain? Update 11/15/2013: This bonus has just changed. Instead of getting a free $10, they are now giving away $20 to Habi-tat for Humanity for each per-son that joins.

2. Trade Stocks at MotifIn-vesting.com – FREE $100.25

Motif Investing is unique among online brokers, because instead of picking individual stocks, you invest in a cluster of stocks (usually 20 to 30) from a similar field. Sort of like a mutual fund, but the motifs range from Clean Energy, to Republican Compa-nies, to Healthy and Tasty, to Obamacare. Basically any inter-est you have or trend you’d like to invest in can be found on Mo-tif…

Even, better they’re giving away a ton of cash right now. If you open a new account and make one trade, you’ll earn $50. Make 3 trades, and you’ll earn $75. Make 5 trades, and you’ll earn $150! Now Motif charges $9.95 for each trade you make, so after making 5 trades, you’ll still be netting $100.25 in extra cash. That’s like getting all of your transaction fees free AND earning $100 extra. Sweet!

For the remainder of FREE CASH visit our website at www.cxnmagazine.com and click the ARTICLE tab.

http://track.linkoffers.net/a.aspx?foid=22942695&fot=9999&foc=1

http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-3791947-11407367


DJ CHORD BEZERRA: WASHTINGON DC Written By: David W. Vandygriff & Kim Johnson

DJ Chord Bezerra has become one of D.C.’s most popular, and increasingly prominent DJ’s by Metroweekly. H, e was voted 1

st

Runner Up as Best DJ by the Washington City Paper and in 2010 he was awarded the title of “Best DJ” by the Washington Blade. He is now a regular rota-tion at some of DC’s hottest clubs and parties including Town Danceboutique, La Boum Brunch, and Cobalt. His eclectic spinning style spans many differ-ent genres from hip hop to EDM. “The ultimate goal,” he says, “is connecting with people and get-ting them to dance.” With a fol-lowing as diverse as the city he lives in, Chord has the skill to do just that. We recently had the chance to catch-up with DJ Chord and gain a little more insight into his many talents.

CXN: When did you start DJing - and what or who were your early passions and influences? DJ Chord: Music has always been a significant part of my life. I can remember going into my first gay club in 1999. I had never experienced anything like that. The music, the lights and of course the boys. There was such energy on the dance floor. This was on a college night and I wasn’t 21 yet but at that time I didn’t need any alcohol. I would dance all night by myself having the best time of my life. I’m sure I looked like an idiot up there on my own but it didn’t matter to

me. I was lost in the sound. Since then music has been a huge influence in my life. I created mix tapes for friends and would play music where I could but it wasn’t until 10 years later that I got my first break as a professional DJ. I was hooked. There was no going back.

CXN: What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career? DJ Chord: In the beginning of this year my grandmother passed away. It was a really hard time for me. I had big gig just days after the funeral. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through it but I thought it would be a great way to honor her. She loved music and loved to dance. The next day I re-ceived a message: …. thanks for having the spirit to share your

music with us last night. For a town full of guys who work hard at stressful jobs, your music pro-vides us the joy that we want (and deserve) at the end of the week. It was one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me. It was amazing to see how you can connect with people musically. It was one the best compliments I could get.

CXN: What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? DJ Chord: I think one of the biggest challenges these days is trying to develop a sound that stands out but is also accessible. People come out and want to dance to music they know but they also don’t want to go to a club to hear some one’s iPod playlist. I try to find the right bal-ance of sounds that will not only get you dancing and singing but also keep you interested and excited for what’s next. It’s a moving target.

CXN: What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, which makes it interesting for you? DJ Chord: I pride myself on being more of curator than a pro-ducer. I love listening to a song and saying, “I want to find the best mix of that.” I comb the web looking and listening to some-times hundreds of mixes until I find the one that works for me. I love the hunt. A producer would want to create that sound from scratch and I admire that, but


that isn’t my strength at this time. My strength is curating a unique musical environment from what those producers create.

CXN: What do you usually start with when preparing for a set? DJ Chord: I create bucket lists. The buckets are full of songs with similar energy. The rest is up to the crowd. You are there to build a relationship with them. If they aren’t feeling something you need to be able to transition to a different energy quickly. That read of the crowd is such an important but unpredictable element. You can prepare for hours but sometimes you just have to go with the flow.

CXN: How important is building a real relationship with the music you're playing for your own ap-proach? DJ Chord: It’s so important for you to love the music you’re playing. If I don’t enjoy what you are playing it shows… one way or another. If you look up and the DJ doesn’t look like he is having the time of his life then something is off. I sing, dance and generally act a fool when I’m playing. It builds a trust with the people dancing.

CXN: There's so much music out there, is it even possible to build meaningful long-term rela-tionships with a particular track or album? DJ Chord: Sure there is a lot of fluff out there that burns bright

for a second before disappear-ing, but then there are songs like Whitney Huston’s “Your Love is My Love.” That song is almost 16 years old and still gets me moving the same way it did when I first heard it.

CXN: Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for select-ing what to play at a gig? DJ Chord: You have to do your homework and get to know the people. I would love to think they are just coming just for me but more than likely they are coming for an environment and it’s up to me to take up a level. You want to take people on a journey. You start with what people know and then add then slowly start level-ing up to some more directional songs. By the end of the night the crowd should feel they not only danced to what they know but also heard some new tracks they want to get to know more.

CXN: Do you feel a crowd is actually able to appreciate the intricacies of complex DJing, if they don't actually know what, precisely, is happening behind the decks? DJ Chord: It’s a magic show. They shouldn’t have to know how it is done to appreciate the show. My goal is not to show off my technical skills. My goal is to make them dance. Sure there are moments when you can ex-ercise your skill but ultimately they know a good DJ is behind

the decks when they are dancing till close.

CXN: Do you believe in the pos-sibility of "reading an audience"

– and how do you put it into practice? Reading an audience is such an important part of the night. You have to scan the crowd and see how people are reacting. Who is there? What are they doing? Who is dancing? What are they responding to? DJ Chord: DJing done right is collaboration with the audience. They are sharing the experience with you. It’s like sex for the first time. You’re feeling them out and they are feeling you out. You try this, you try that. How do they respond? What energy are they giving off? You figure out what works and build and build and build on that.

DJ CHORD BEZERRA: WASHINGTON DC Continued


CXN: What makes a strong tran-sition from one track to the next from your point of view and how do you see the relative impor-tance of establishing a flow ver-sus creating tension through suspenseful breaks in continu-ity? DJ Chord: This all depends on where you are taking the night. DJs aren’t thinking just going from one song to the next. They are thinking of multi song build. Sometimes you want one song to flow into the other seamlessly. Then there are moments when a hard stop followed by silence just can’t be beat.

CXN: A strong set can truly be more than the sum of its parts. How, do you feel, is the music transformed in the hands of a DJ? DJ Chord: A good DJ will turn a moment into an experience and night into a journey.

CXN: In which way are you ac-tively trying to create an experi-ence that is more than just stringing together a few excellent records?

DJ Chord: This all comes down to your interaction with the crowd. Anyone can play one song to the next. How well you read the crowd will determine how well your music transcends from that moment to an experi-ence.

CXN: DJs that just press play on their laptop may have given technology a bad name, but without technology, there'd be no DJing in the first place. What's your perspective on the relation-ship and the balance between technological advances, music and the art of DJing? DJ Chord: Sure, the easy ac-cess to DJ technology has pro-duced an army of laptop DJs, including myself. Hell, my mom could do it if I gave her the right program. Most anyone reading this probably knows 3 or 4 DJs. This certainly makes it harder to get work but on the flip side it makes good DJs stand out all the more. DJing is more than a song, more than program, more than a transition… it’s about cre-ating energy and feeling. No tech can do that and anyone that doesn’t understand that won’t go too far.

CXN: How do you see the rela-tionship between music and the space it is performed at? DJ Chord: It’s very important. Some places lend themselves to certain sounds. You have to see where the bar is, where the dance floor is at, how big the

space is, do you have a lighting guy, is he paying attention to what is going on? Don’t get me started on lighting. Next to the music the lighting is so important and often overlooked. There is a reason major venues and large parties focus so much on their lighting system. It can easily make or break a song or a build.

CXN: Please recommend two DJs to our readers which you feel deserve their attention. DJ Chord: I’ll highlight two of my favorites from different genres. First is Hard Rock Sofa. An amazing Russian EDM team. Heavy on vocals and lots of

great reference to music new and old. I love running into these guys. Lots of build and breaks. Second would be new favorite of mine. Danny Verde is both an amazing producer and DJ. He has a great house sound and remixes kill it.

DJ CHORD BEZERRA: WASHINGTON DC Continued


LEGAL CORNER: REASONS You Need a Lawyer Written By: Gordon T. Nicol, Atty

A lawyer is a resource when you are working to protect your future, your assets, your business and your family. Below are reasons you should protect yourself and consult an attorney.

Every legal case involves emo-tional and legal arguments on both sides. Emotionally, it is up-setting to have negative and of-tentimes downright nasty com-ments from the other side. A lot of times the other side will not only make hurtful comments but will try to destroy you emotion-ally and financially. Sometimes they will work to get you fired or hurt you by taking the kids away. Your time in front of the Judge is limited – your lawyer will help you identify the most important facts of your case.

Keep in mind that every legal case also involves legal argu-ments on both sides. Your law-yer will research and submit to the Judge the governing laws, cases, and statutes which legally support your case. Your lawyer must present legal authority through a legal argument that supports the facts in your case.

If you are hurt on the job it is critical that you get professional help asap. This applies to both medical care and legal help. There are criti-cal deadlines –reporting, medical, and legal - that affect whether you can even pursue your case. Keep in mind that there are different re-quirements whether your employer

is even required to provide worker’s compensation insurance. A number of employers will lie and tell you that they don’t have worker’s compensation coverage. Employers will also lie and tell you that they’ll “take care of it.” An injury can have a life time effect on your employment, your income, and your retirement. It is crucial to con-sult with a lawyer to know your rights.

If you are hurt in a car accident this is also time sensitive. In a car acci-dent there are medical deadlines. If you don’t go to the hospital or a doctor soon enough you are per-manently “cut off” from medical care. Your lawyer will help you with critical deadlines so that you do not lose your legal right to be compen-sated for your injuries and your bills.

A common question is how best to protect yourself financially. Your lawyer can specifically advise you on how best to protect yourself from losing your assets from a law-suit. A trust takes care of your loved ones by protecting them fi-nancially. Be sure to consult with your lawyer for your specific con-cerns.

If you are overwhelmed with bills, be sure to discuss your finances with your lawyer early. Don’t make the mistake of waiting for a credit card lawsuit or a garnishment. Don’t make the mistake of waiting to be sued when your car is re-repossessed or your home is fore-

closed. If your car is repossessed by the bank it will be sold at auc-tion. When the car is sold for less than is owed, the bank will sue you for the difference. An even bigger bill happens when your home is foreclosed by the bank and is sold at auction. When you are sued, you have a limited time to respond to the lawsuit. Don’t make the mistake of writing a letter to the court. A law-suit is more than both sides writing back and forth to each other. A let-ter does not protect you.

When you have been charged with a felony or a misdemeanor this can have a real impact on job applications and renting a place to live. This can have an impact for years and years after you were charged. When an employer can choose between any number of qualified applicants they are more likely to choose someone without a criminal history. The legal process involves sealing or expung-ing the felony charges or the misde-meanor charges. Different laws apply to different crimes and different sen-tences. Not every misdemeanor or felony can be resolved by sealing or expunging your record. Your lawyer can explain the different legal steps required for each of the different ap-proaches.

Gordon T. Nicol, Attorney at Law Your Jacksonville Lawyer

7545 Centurion Parkway, Suite 108 Jacksonville, FL 32256

E-mail : [email protected]

Ph : 904-384-4911

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


RELIGIOUS CORNER: Unwrapping the Gift Written By: Dr. Harvey Carr

The gift arrived and I excitedly started opening it. As soon as I tore off the wrapping paper, there was another layer of paper. When I tried to get beneath that layer, I saw a note—WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW TO OPEN. What’s up with that? Welcome to another year. We unwrap it a day at a time—a daily gift of 24 hours. As much as I want to know what’s ahead, I can’t. Today is the only day I can have—until tomorrow. 2013 was the final year for several incredibly spe-cial people in my world. Cancer took some of their lives, stroke took some and AIDS took some oth-ers but it never robbed any of them of their real purpose for living. Even though they were still quite young, as I refer to anyone younger than 100 years of age, they died incredibly wealthy. Not monetary wealth, but rich in all the relation-

ships they had—loving families and many close friends, but none closer than Jesus. Their legacies include years of investing their love into others. That’s the kind of investment with the greatest returns—joy now and peace forevermore. So as I unwrap another layer from my gift of 2014, I want to remember to invest wisely each day.

cityxtra (cxn magazine) january 2012

Documents