We'd been looking forward to it for a while - Deep Dish's triumphant return to their adopted home at Release in San Francisco - this time with some shiny Grammy hardware in tow. Not that anyone with half a brain gives two shits about what the NARAS has to say, but it's good to see good talent get some industry recognition for once. Knowing that Release (held at Ten15 Folsom) is a trendy pick-up shithole until the wee hours, we decided to meet up at the Misson District's Skylark first for some drinks first.

Is it just me? Or do Red Bull Vodkas look absolutely toxic? While the drinks were ok and the people were cool we (Vince, Mike, Monica, Me - not pictured: Trideev) nodded our heads and agreed that the DJ manning the decks at Skylark not only had bad taste, but couldn't spin, either. We made a slight change of plans and headed to Ten15 much sooner than hoped, charging at the Mondrian-inspired bar within.

While the mixing was more adept than what we'd witnessed over in the Mission, the crowd in Ten15's front room was still on the unimpressive side - while waiting for a couple of people to get through the ridiculous coat check line, we tolerated the meatmarket within... until Vince gave the international two-fingered symbol for "peace" (ahem) we made our way to the gigantic main room.

With go-go dancers flanking each side of the floor, resident DJ (and new Yoshitoshi conscript) Behrouz was warming up the decks and lubing up the crowd with his deep, tasty blend of house beats.

The floor was positively packed and the vibe was already good. The Main Event was going to start fairly soon, which meant we had a little time to go and explore the other points of interest in this amusement park of a club.

First stop - upstairs - where I ran into Sean whom I hadn't seen since the "Debacle in the Desert" (those who know me know what I mean) and company for a big group hug. No matter which corner of the club you were in, there was no dearth of printed material to remind you just which Supasta DJ was headlining the venue the following week. Funny? Sad? Both? California law dictates that smoking can only occur in open-aired areas or completely enclosed rooms. Smokers at Ten15 are sequestered in this new cell, a narrow, glassed-in balcony above all the action. Lung brush not included.

Ever seen one with three balls? A lighting rig, that is... While the same great music from the main floor emanates through the room, the upstairs lounge provides a bit of a refuge from the heat and sweat of the gargantuan hall. It also serves as a venue for glow-in-the-dark jugglers. (That's what those streaks are...)

Back on the main floor, a good portion of the crowd had turned to face the DJ booth and were pumping their fists... which meant it was time for Ali & Shahram to hit the decks. This occasion marked a landmark event for Release - there were 3 and a half kick-ass Iranian-American DJs in the house. (Wink, Wink)

At some point, the go-go dancers had to change into brighter, shinier outfits - maybe everyone was too into the music to notice them anymore. (Because the music, like, kicked ass and stuff, dude.)

Here's a bit more of Deep Dish in action... Click the middle one and you'll hear them in action, along with some edited-together shots of flashing lights and dancers. (1mb QuickTime) It's a mix of Depeche Mode's "I Feel Loved" which, from the sound of it, they were remixing live and on the spot.

With his triumphant return to clubland, Trideev totally lost himself in the music. I decided to forgo my usual stoic (and/or blitzed) look for a big, genuine smile. This was no night to pout or not dance!

Ah, yes, the public shaming portion of the page. We made some rounds to bring you scenes of the not-so-glamrous side of club life. To protect the not-so-innocent, you can't enlarge these. Nope, you won't be able to see strategically-sweat-soaked-pants girl in full resolution glory... Nor Ms. FUBAR, either. As for Ms. Adjust-My-Vinyl-Pants In Public, well, ok - you can click on her, if only because pictures like this draw traffic to the site.

We hit the main room again for a while for another slice of Deep Dish (-50 points for that one, I'm sorry), and then found our way to the exit. You didn't think I'd forget that this week, did you? We made our way to the first open Jack In the Box drive-thru that we could find for some Sober-Up Sammiches. At 4:00-something AM, our cashier was so polite and upbeat, I just had to make sure he made it into this week's pics. There's a man who loves his job - his patriotic efforts to sober up all the club kids with his piles of carbs and grease will not go forgotten.

On a rainy night, as cool as this may look on camera, you do not want the road to look like this while you're driving! So make use of the Jack in the Box guy, use some common sense, and party safe, everyone...