Saturday night in Miami is flashy, glitzy, glamorous, and quite often expensive. So what is a party kid to do when your wallet is low and your mood is chill? Can't you just hit a club, have a drink, and listen to some dope tunes without going all out?
Sidebar thinks you should, and with Cherry Pop Saturdays, you can.
"It's not so much about hype," says Raul Sanchez, co-owner of the Brickell hangout and one of the minds behind the Cherry Pop project. "I think that's what's been my mantra with any parties or anything I've been associated with, just good music and fun."
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Cherry Pop is an open-format weekly, meaning the resident DJ and friends won't be tied down to any one genre, tempo, or style. You might hear a little hip-hop one night, a little electro and house on another, you might even get some throwback or '80s jams. It's all about the party people and making them happy, without just serving up lowest-common-denominator hits.
"We'll have DJ Benton as resident and have guests come in," Sanchez says. "Just fun shit. Not Avicii or Swedish Meatball Mafia, whatever their name is."
As far as visual design, the Cherry Pop crew is taking cues from a French gentleman's magazine called Lui, especially its Parisian Playboy days of the '70s and '80s. But no, there aren't any hired dancing girls at Sidebar on Saturdays, and there's no nudity, it's all about playful style.
Meanwhile, drink special are in the works. (You can look forward to something cherry-flavored, of course.) And those looking to party on a budget will appreciate Sidebar's no-cover policy.
"When you start charging people, it becomes an instant 'what are you going to do for me?,'" Sanchez says. "If you like it, you can stay. If you don't like it, you can leave and never feel like, 'Hey, I paid $10.' Expectations come with that."
Ultimately, all that Sidebar hopes to deliver, night after night, Cherry Pop after Cherry Pop, is chill vibes, good times, and good tunes -- whatever the DJ may be spinning.
"We just want people to come and have fun," the Sidebar co-owner adds. "Enjoy the evening, not expect to hear the same thing. We want people dancing and having fun. That's really it."
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Cherry Pop Saturdays. With DJ Benton and guests. Every Saturday. Sidebar, 337 SW Eighth St., Miami. Doors open at 7 p.m. and there's no cover. Call 786-703-6973 or visit facebook.com/sidebarmiami.
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