Howl at the Moon

Posted on by Thor

Howl at the Moon, 8815 International Dr, Orlando, FL, was bustling on the evening I decided to stop out and sketch. Inside people had obscenely large tropical drinks and the piano was blazing. A large party of people from the Orange County Convention Center were stuffed inside. I sat outside and sketched the crowd of people at the entrance. I found it ironic that a full moon was in the sky right behind the logo of a howling wolf perched on a piano.

Howl at the Moon rocks International Drive! the high-energy dueling pianos and awesome events make the dueling piano bar the coolest spot for Orlando nightlife! From corporate events to happy hour with friends to bachelorette parties,
the party is always at Howl at the Moon.

I keep thinking that I will return someday to sketch inside the piano bar, but I dread driving or International drive and parking around there. My car was towed once from a parking lot on International Drive, so I am very cautious, anytime I park there since I suspect that cars that are presumed to belong to tourists are targeted with the intent to make hundreds of quick bucks by seizing and holding cars hostage.  It is business as usual in Orlando.

Whirly Dome

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Jessica Mariko, the founder of Drip, invited the entire cast and crew to an evening at the Whirly Dome, 6464 International Dr, Orlando, Fl. Terry and I tagged along. Jessica had game tokens for everyone, so once we entered, the game was on. There was a formula one racing simulator with three screens creating an immersive panoramic view. If the car went up an embankment, the chassis would tilt. Melissa Kasper and Brigette Frias tossed basketballs into a hoop which moved back and forth. They had excellent eye hand coordination, landing shot after shot. I tried playing along with Terry and I didn’t do half as good.

There was a mini bowling alley, but it was broken. It took Terry’s token and didn’t spit out the bowling ball. Then everyone went up to the second floor to play laser tag. We were suited up like storm troopers and given a laser gun. If you were hit, a light would blink on the vest and the gun wouldn’t fire anymore. We were split into two teams based on the vest colors. The first team entered the maze to find cover and then the second team entered. The adrenalin immediately kicked in as we blasted our way towards the far end of the maze. I worked up a sweat trying to avoid laser blasts. Frustratingly I allowed myself to be caught in cross fire, often being killed from behind. A computer kept track of each persons kills. I was never in the top ranks.

Finally everyone made it to the main attraction, a heated game of Whirly Ball. There were five bumper cars per team. Besides driving recklessly, contestants held a lacrosse scoop which was used to toss a wiffle ball towards a hole in a basketball backboard. For the first match, I sketched, watching the dancers laugh and compete. Of course, Yellow, Jessie Sander, piled into a yellow bumber car. For a second match, I got into a bumper car myself. You would think there would be little physical exertion, but I worked up a sweat. I’d love to see octogenarians from a retirement home play this game. Your killer instinct immediately kicks in as you ram the other bumper cars at top speed. Also, tossing and catching that ball with the scoop was a real challenge. Once two cars smashed the ball flat in a head on collision. After the game, Jessica gave everyone a beer wrapped in a nice gift bag. Everyone had worked up a thirst from screaming, laughing and ramming each other. Oh, and if you haven’t seen Drip on International Drive yet,  you are missing the hotter ticket in town.

Drip 1 Year Anniversary

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On November 16th, Drip celebrated its one year anniversary of being on International Drive. Long time supporters of Drip were invited for a complimentary show. The T-shirt cutting and paint station was complimentary as was the champagne. After the 50 minute Drip show there was a desert party with the cast. Jessica Mariko the dance company’s founder was beaming as she thanked everyone. “We would not be where we are today without the help of generous people, advice from friends, cash, love and support.”

During the show, Terry and I stood near a raised platform. In one dueling dance sequence, red and Blue seduced one another in a purple strobe light glow as Yellow, Jessie Sander, tore apart her apartment in anguish and despair. Terry and I were inches away as the lovers gyrated and disrobed. Yellow as always did an incredible job of clearly showing her emotions even when not dancing.

David Travers, who composed all the music for the show made a rare cameo appearance playing guitar along with the band. The band performed in the bar for the after party. Guest singers were invited up to the mic.  I was surprised to see Melissa Kasper get up and sing her heart out. She has been the longest standing cast member of Drip working tirelessly hard in the background to keep each show on schedule. Now she stood front and center and the cast whooped and screamed for her performance.

The sketch was a struggle as heads bounced and bobbed blocking the scene. A paint drenched wench rubbed her boobs up along my left arm as she looked at what I was doing. She must not have seen the ring on my finger. Get a group of women wet and covered in paint and their inhibitions turn of as they get wild. Everyone danced and screamed to the pounding rock beat. When the music died down, Terry and I headed home.

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DRIP Fairy Body Paint Jam

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Mark your calendar, on August 1st there will be a Fairy Body Painting Jam after the Drip show. Drip is located at (8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Orlando, Florida, Behind Denny’s). Come see the show and stay for the body painting or just come for the after party body painting jam.

Small Body or Face Painting will be available for guests.

Admission for after party is $5.
Tickets for the show available at www.ilovedrip.com.

Celebrate Mandi’s Birthday in style with a paint slinging dance show, some colored beer and body paint!!

DRIP is an in-your-face explosion of color and movement backed by a live rock band, all in an industrial dive bar. You may get wet … you may get messy … you WILL have an awesome time.

Painters start time is 7pm, All other guests should arrive at around 10 pm.

Painters include:

Mandi Ilene 

Lori Babson Jessup 

Tanisha Morgan 

Tracy Purple 

Cody Saults

Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar

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For several days in June a tent was set up in the parking lot at Ripley’s Believe it or Not (8201 International Drive, Orlando FL.) Bright banners announced that it was the Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar. Seated at the table were Edward Meyer, the VP of Exhibits and archives for Ripley Entertainment Inc and Angela Johnson the assistant of archives. Well, you can’t see Angela in the sketch, a co-worker obscured her from my view as he was checking his cell phone. We all laughed about how she missed he 15 minutes of sketchbook fame afterwards. A call had been put out for people to bring their odd and bizarre items where they would be appraised, and if strange enough, purchased for the collection right on the spot. I sat in a parking spot and started to sketch.

A large metal sculpture of the Bumble Bee Transformer stood at the corner of the tent. This item was created by, “Art from Steel” from Bangkok, Thailand. It stood three feet four inches tall and was made entirely from car parts. Edward explained that this was actually one of the smaller sculptures. It was too heavy for any one person to lift, but it could be disassembled into smaller parts for transport.  I wonder how much fun it would have been to get that luggage through airport security.

Items on display that had been bought already included: Bats mounted on a board with presidents faces painted on their bellies. A painting of John Lennon or Harry Potter was made entirely with CD disks.  A painting of Marilyn Monroe was done entirely with nail polish and Obama towered above Mount Rushmore in another. Another portrait of Bob Marley was created with all the tape from a single cassette tape. The Terminator’s arm was made of used batteries and mounted in a futuristic cylinder. On the table there was an actual shrunken head and a plate of Doughnuts that turned out to be a sculpture.

A news anchor and cameraman showed up to interview Edward. This is the first time Ripley’s held a Bazaar inviting anyone and everyone to bring in their oddities. Edward held up a rusty knife to show the cameraman. It had been lodged in a man’s skull for years. Oddly the man didn’t know the blade was there, but he suffered from splitting headaches. Several doctors prescribed drugs and shots but one finally took x-rays which clearly showed the knife in man’s skull. When the rusty blade was surgically removed, the man’s headaches diminished.

A man pulled up in his family van and pulled out a four foot high image of a heart made entirely with postage stamps. Edward wasn’t impressed, but after some negotiating, it joined the items in the parking lot collection.

Girls at Gay Days Kick-Off Party “One Hot Mess”

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Drip, ( 8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs, Orlando, Florida), has been hosting parties and performances for Gay Days all this week.  I was slated to do a painting live of two Drip dancers in an erotic embrace, so I went to the women’s kickoff party, “One Hot Mess.” I arrived at around 10pm and the 8:30pm performance had just wrapped up. After a performance there is a monstrous amount of clean up work that needs to be done. Wet sand has to be shoveled aside and all the water has to be removed.

I settled in a chair near the Drip T-shirt paint station where red, blue and yellow paint is available. As I started this sketch of a body painter at work, I got pelted with blue and then red paint. Women were slinging the paint at each others shirts, and I was in the line of fire. The blue and red splotches can still be clearly seen on my sketch. One woman apologized and I said it was fine. You know going in to a party called “One Hot Mess” that things could get messy.

The woman whose body was being painted didn’t have a top on, yet the Drip logo across her chest hid any signs of nipples. She checked her cell phone often as swirls and wings were being painted on her back. Jessica Mariko‘s voice announced that the dance floor was now open.  Two drip dancers worked their magic in the center of the room while the DJ cranked up the eardrum splitting beats. Jessie Sander did a solo rain dance performance standing in a kiddie pool under a Drip paint can chandelier. The crowd of 50 to 75 women were loving it.

Later three Drip dancers performed a new number I had never seen before. They each had a sack filled with white powder that covered their bodies and filled the air in rich thick clouds. After that, Jessica wanted me to do my live painting In the main dance area. Lights pulsed green blue and yellow. Painting under those conditions would be a challenge. Regardless I set up my portable easel and the dancers, Meagan Nagy and Paige Metelka, posed in front of a back lit screen. The canvas was more textured than expected and the paintbrush would run dry too fast. Regardless, I just tried to cover the canvas as fast as I could. Surprisingly this was the one time when I felt that acrylic paint was taking to long to dry. Whenever possible I shouted to the intertwined dancers to take a break. I was sweating up a storm and they had to work hard to keep the pose. When I stepped back, the canvas was a hot mess but I learned a lot doing it. A woman asked if it was for sale and I sold it on the spot. In my rush to clean up, I forgot to sign the painting. Painting on a crowded dance floor pushed me out of my comfort zone but sometimes, that is a good thing.

Two shows for the Ladies remain…

8:30PM-10:30PM $35 DRIP Shows- for the ladies (all female cast). Drip 8747 International Dr. Suite 102 (Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs), Orlando, Florida

11:30PM-1:30AM $35 DRIP Shows- for the ladies (all female cast). Drip 8747 International Dr. Suite 102 (Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs), Orlando, Florida

DRIP Valentines

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After returning from Mount Dora, Terry brought her out of town friends to International Drive to experience DRIP Dance. DRIP had a special Valentines show that featured a full color themed diner along with the full floor show. Tickets cost more for this Valentines show but Jessica Mariko, the company founder, pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable show. Her boyfriend David Traver was back from being on tour. He composed all the hard hitting rock and roll for the show. We all had to sign wavers when we went in acknowledging that we knew we might get paint drenched. Yellow, Jessie Sander offered each of us a white DRIP T-shirt. I opted for the DRIP logo up on my shoulder. A brightly colored oxygen bar complimented the beer and wine bar.

As the room got crowded, and the music pulsed, Miranda Snow got on the bar holding a mango.  She did a sensuous dance with the fruit. She ripped it open and devoured it as the juices ran down her cheeks and on to her tank top. I never realized there was so much juice in a mango. When she twirled, the juice splashed onto the patrons. Dinner was served in finger food portions. My favorite item was the coconut crusted skewered shrimp. Instead of a colored beer, I went with white wine. There was a table with dozens of Valentines cards along with necklaces that featured a heart shaped bottle cap. Miranda began painting herself with red paint. My shirt had gone unscathed most of the night until she danced behind me and ran her blood red hands down my back.

Blue, the male dancer, Marcus Alexander Cartier, was performing for the last time on this evening. In the show, Blue and Yellow fall in love. Together, the two dancers create green. However, another woman, Red, Brigette Frias, catches Blues attention and they have a sordid purple affair. In future shows, Blue is being performed by a female dancer named Meagan Nagy. Meagan explained that audiences welcome the idea that two women dancers fall in love. If anything, it makes the scenes hotter.

After the show, John Frank performed on guitar. I quickly worked him into my sketch and then rejoined our crew. Everyone was paint covered and hot wired. what a night! I ended up leaving my polo shirt behind. Lovers will often forget an article of clothing when the want to return for more. It was the wettest, hottest, sexiest Valentines ever.

DRIP Art Nights

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DRIP ( 8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs, Orlando, Fl) has hosted several very successful art nights. There was LIVE art, body painting, art sales and music. I parked a good distance away and walked to the venue. The 8PM DRIP performance was over and there was no cover to get in for the Art Night event. Bodies were being painted everywhere. Artysta Lulu was standing on the bar and doing chalk drawings on the black walls. Mila Belle was body painting and dancing up a storm. Melissa Kasper had on a pair of insanely high platform shoes. I saw another pair of platforms that were designed with metal re-bar that would make a woman a foot and a half taller.

Break dancers started spinning on the dance floor as the DJ pumped up the volume. Black lights made peoples white shirts glow blue. DRIP dancers and body painting models posed in their undies and bras. The dancing really heated up as I finished my sketch and packed up my supplies. DRIP Creative Director Jessica Mariko, joined all the women dancing Gangnam Style as if riding horses. As I left the lights flashed red and green and the entire room was laced with sexy dancers. Paint was everywhere.

Treat your loved one to a Special Valentine’s Day Experience on  February 13-16, 2013.

Looking for a way to impress your date on
Valentine’s day that doesn’t include the same old dress up, buy a box of
chocolates and go to a regular restaurant for dinner?  

JOIN DRIP FOR AN INTERACTIVE EVENING THAT INCLUDES:

*A four course Dinner-by-Color

*Full DRIP performance

*Dessert party

*Make-your-own Valentine station.

*A white DRIP t-shirt 

Limited to an intimate crowd of only
100 people per night. Reserve your tickets before Feb 13th and we’ll
include a $10 gift card from Fairvilla’s Sexy Things per person!

Ticket prices:

Wednesday, February 13: $65 per person

Thursday, February 14: $90 per person

Friday, February 15: $80 per person – *Special All Female Cast

Saturday, February 16: $80 per person

DRIP Sold Out Performances

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There was a performance of Drip on founder Jessica Mariko‘s birthday. Appropriately this was the first sold out performance. There was a waiting list of people who hoped to get in. The Drip venue is located in a dark warehouse and you enter via the loading dock (8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Orlando, Fl 32819, behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs). The place used to be an indoor miniature golf course but now it is one of the hippest spots in Orlando. January 5, 12, 18, and 19th’s shows were all sold out. A second show is being added on January 26th to accommodate the crowds.

This performance was so crowded, that I had to stand on my artist stool to see well enough to keep on sketching. This isn’t a passive show to sit and watch. The audience stands on either side of the huge warehouse interior and at times is involved by lobbing water balloons at dancers and at each other. The hip energetic dance has a story line that anyone can relate to. A hot romance ignites with a male dancer, Marcus Alexander Cartier, throwing blue sand and the female dancer, Jessie Sander, throwing yellow sand. Together their colors unite becoming green. The romance sours when the male dancer cheats on his partner. Jessie wakes up in her loft bed alone. She finds evidence that Marcus is cheating when blue jeans shower down red sand. With strobe lights freezing her frenzied anger, she rips apart her closet sending clothes down into the audience. At the same time Marcus and another sexy dancer perform a flaming, evocative and passionate dance. In a daze Jessie wanders through the crowd with a video camera and spot light following her. She stopped below me and suddenly a milky water balloon exploded next to my head soaking the sketch.

DRIP is an in-your-face explosion of color and movement backed by a live
rock band, all in an industrial dive bar. You may get wet … you may get
messy … you WILL have an awesome time. Grab a colored beer (orange,
yellow, red or blue!) or glass of wine from our bar and let us assault
your senses. There are special Valentines performances February 13-16. If you are looking for a way to impress your date on Valentine’s day, get to Drip for an interactive evening that includes a four-course dinner-by-color, where
each course is served in a special hue (orange, blue, yellow and red),
make-your-own Valentine station, full DRIP performance with live band and dancers who perform in paint, water, and colored sand, a white DRIP T-shirt for you to wear and take home as a splattered souvenir and a dessert party
with live acoustic music by Lance Herring and other musicians. Tickets
are $65-$90 per person and are limited to 100 people per night.

DRIP Splashes onto International Drive!

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Drip is now officially making a splash on International Drive (8747 International Dr. Suite 102, Orlando, Fl 32819, behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs).  The venue is a cavernous dark warehouse that guests enter via a loading dock. My wife and I have been to several performances and the show keeps getting more dynamic. The last show we went to was sold out and I have never seen the venue so crowded. Near the entrance there was a sign saying the limit was 264 people. There was a waiting list for people who couldn’t get into the show.

At the entrance you have to sign a release stating that you know there is a chance you will get wet and covered with paint. White tee shirts are for sale that inevitably got covered in paint. Some women had hand prints on their chests, indicating some creative use of paint. As I see it you are guaranteed to be in the “splash zone.” Once you sign the release then your hand is stamped with the Drip logo. Inside the bar and waiting area, Melissa Kasper was at a table with jars of paint. She asked what color I wanted and I got a bold slash of blue paint on my left cheek. I knew that I might get wet, so, to protect my sketch, I wore a waterproof wind breaker. I might have looked like a geek, but I was prepared. The bar offered various colored beers. I ordered an orange beer and Terry ordered a blue beer. By the end of the night her tongue was as blue as a panda’s. Jessica Mariko, Drip’s founder and choreographer was at the door to greet us. This show was a long time in the making and it was exciting to finally see it all come crashing together.

The show opens with a loud, raw and vibrant rock band performing live on the stage under a wagon wheel suspended from the red metal ceiling rafters. The modern dance focused on a love story of a young couple, who meet and breakup. The female dancer, Jessie Sander, strode onto the center of the dance floor with a bold beam of light behind her. She approached the male dancer, Marcus Alexander Cartier, with slow deliberate steps like in a wedding march. She was showered with yellow sand and water while the male dancer’s color was blue. Together their colors mixed and combined to create green. Sand was thrown in a wild dance contained within four clear plastic walls that were later removed and stored next to the stage.

With this sketch, I focused my attention on the band as they were back lit by strong stage lighting. Below the stage, lights raked their beams across the sand covered dance floor. The show had a bold energy that had the entire audience involved. There is no passive seating, instead the audience stood around the edge of the warehouse to watch. Water balloons burst against the walls sending their milky white spray everywhere. Several times my sketch got drenched and I had to wipe off the sand and paint. This show has an energy that is addictive. Tourists and locals will be blown away. This is the most hip show to hit Orlando and International Drive in a long time. After the show you can linger and meet the sexy cast while sipping colored beer. Marcus has really grown into his roll and the Jessie is expressive and energetic adding her spark to the show. If you want an amazing date night, this is the ticket for you. Performances are every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8PM.