Word comes of the sale of the outer Chelsea midsize club Prime. Often called Quo (referring to a tackier incarnation of the space), the club will be relaunched for the fall with what would have to be a better management team. The room is amazing, with high ceilings and scarce columns, and it could be a home run under a more sophisticated team's control. I liked most of the old players but always felt there were too many chefs in that kitchen. They didn't seem to able to adjust to the changing realities of the area. Carlo Seneca was always trying to do the right thing, but his partner Gary Malhotra was a disgrace. I actually learned over time not to despise Gary as most in the business tend to; I felt really sorry for him. A lawyer who definitely knows the difference between right and wrong, Gary consistently crossed the line and behaved despicably. It is amazing that the joint lasted so long. In spite of severe economic times, a general demise of the neighborhood, and Gary's charming ways, the space survived, until now.

Last week, Down By The Hipster reported that Le Royale, the fun, music-driven joint on Leroy Street, was closing. DBTH later retracted the statement. I think Scott got it right the first time. A swarm of weekend phone calls from employees and people in the know annoyed my friends as we sipped pineapple juice at Fannie Chan's poolside Thompson LES weekly. This story is confusing with partners not speaking and a sale seemingly needing only a dot of an 'I' or cross of a 't' to be real. Terry Casey, an owner and the face of the place, is himself unclear as to what will happen and when.

Joao Daniel has moved on from Le Royale and is focusing his efforts on the coolest party for the hot summer, "Get Up, Get Down" at Hotel Gansevoort on Saturdays (12pm-8pm) and Sundays (12pm-4am). Here's the lowdown.

UPDATE: Joao has actually moved on from Le Royale -- see here for details on his new gig.

I attended the Hamptons 2009 launch party thrown by Guest of a Guest and pal o' mine Rachelle Hruska this Sunday. It was held on her cool (and on that afternoon chilly) rooftop overlooking the Bowery. The promise of BBQ and an audience that I could pitch my Nightlife Preservation Community rap to and the wrath of Rachelle if I didn’t show up, motivated me out of my nearby home. Guest of a Guest is the premiere blog doing this nightlife thing. My blog generally deals with an insiders’ perspective of the life. It’s a niche that I carved out a little over a year ago with the enthusiastic support of Rachelle. GOAG deals with a nightlife that is not defined by clubs and their limitations. Her cultural reporting brings us the skinny and scoop on art openings, benefits, launches and such. Clubs are only a small part of her gig and in my opinion she has, in the last few months, risen above the pack and is the must-read blog on our diverse nightlife culture. I need another word it seems because nightlife is morphing into something else.

I've been talking lately about how my career as a hospitality designer can be used as a sort of canary in a coal mine to judge the state of our economy. As a firm, we picked up very little new work from mid-December until just recently. At one point, we had 16 jobs on hold while our clients secured loans. Ten of those jobs have in the last few weeks given us a call and indicated positive movement forward or in fact funding coming through. This means jobs. The restaurants and clubs I am building will need to hire staff two to six months down the line. People who have been futilely looking for gigs might be back on track.

● Butter (Greenwich Village) - Butter Mondays, but what else is new? This party has defied New York City’s attention-deficit disorder pandemic since 2002. ● Johnny Utah’s (Midtown West) - Nobody said Monday-night dancing had to be classy; instead, this midtown saloon hypes their bull-riding challenge for all the pretty service industry folks.

Terry Casey’s Le Royale is a serious attempt to have a club that's both musically and socially relevant. If you start with the premise that a 1Oak or a Kiss & Fly or Tenjune cater to a mostly musically ignorant crowd, while the Santos' Party House, Pacha, and Cielo seek musical nirvana, then Le Royale leans towards the latter. The DJs at the former clubs and their ilk offer up sets of music cloned from basically the same Serato. I just don’t think a really cool crowd wants to hear Kanye West, Beyonce, or crooker crap anymore.

Earlier this year, Elle magazine featured Lissy Trullie in a black-and-white (save for a shock of red hair) spread on punk couture. It's no surprise they would use her. With doe eyes, downtown rocker-chic style and legs that won't quit, the DJ/indie musician is admittedly easy on the eyes. But then, she opens her mouth and husky soul pours out – as well as swaggering personality. A regular DJ at the Beatrice Inn, the D.C. native began performing with her band a little over a year and a half ago, and with her music—retro, dancey, and definitively New York--she's been in high demand. Last week she played four CMJ gigs, including a packed BlackBook party at Le Royale, but she took some time out to opine in our internet questionnaire.

Last night at Le Royale, our nightlife columnist Steve Lewis recounted prison parables to attentive ears, comparing his nine-month stay to a pregnancy. “The last three months, you can’t wait for that baby to drop,” he said. Behind him, Takka Takka began their set of space-rock, kicking off our own rendition of a CMJ showcase. See, when we do it, it’s for something. Music for music’s sake is just a good time. But music for something can be a revolution, man. That's the modus operandi of Music in Motion, and while no despot was overthrown, we did manage to raise a few bucks to help out rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. See the full gallery, and hit the jump for more details.