Are You a Side Door Man?

South Beach's Rokbar is really neither a rock club nor a bar. Instead, the hip lounge focuses on bringing together beautiful people with a yen for bottle service and plenty of attitude. Still, the venue has always made a name for itself by doing the unexpected. It has hosted events...

By Jose D. Duran

October 15, 2009

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South Beach's Rokbar is really neither a rock club nor a bar. Instead, the hip lounge focuses on bringing together beautiful people with a yen for bottle service and plenty of attitude. Still, the venue has always made a name for itself by doing the unexpected. It has hosted events as divergent as live band performances, keggers, and art parties. Now Rokbar is doing it again with its new Tuesday-night party, Side Door.

Launched by the lounge's director of events, Sebastian Puga, and former Bella Rose co-owner Keith Paciello, the night promises to be quintessentially anti-South Beach — no bottle service, no door fee, and no model/promoter tables. In fact, it’s embracing the dive bar theme by not using the Collins Avenue portal. To gain entry, guests must use the back alley — hence the name Side Door.

Also given the boot is the normal Top 40 set list found at most Beach clubs. Resident DJs Troy Kurtz, Ryan Evans, Johnny the Boy, Damaged Goods, and a slew of special guests will instead spin a mix of electro, indie-dance and nu-disco. The party starts at midnight.
Tuesdays, 11:59 a.m., 2009

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Jose D. Duran is associate editor of Miami New Times where he primarily oversees the arts and culture and music beats. Jose joined the New Times staff in June 2008 but has been covering Miami culture since 2005. His work has also appeared in publications likeVice, Billboard, and Spin. He’s earned numerous accolades including placing first for Weekly Newspaper Contest: Business Reporting from the Florida Press Association in 2020; placing third for the Writing: Light Feature from the Florida Press Club in 2019; and placing third in Weekly Newspaper Contest: Best Obituary from the Florida Press Association in 2015. Jose holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida.

Contact: Jose D. Duran

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Twitter: @jose_d_duran