💉 Flew Shot March 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ 03/08 Monday Steemit Blog Post - JP Steinberg
Flew Shot is the title of my serial posts about whatever random things a g'won. From writing about blogging to promoting my podcasting career, curating music & art to writing about sociopolitical issues, I'll create one of these at least weekly, often more. I will also sometimes use specific tags and communities for these posts.
A very blessed Monday.
And a good day to drink some kava.
I wanna tell you about a DJ gig I once held down for quite a few years. I lived in the Lower East Side of New York City at the time. It was the mid to late Nineties. I had just returned to NY after a few years living in Atlanta, GA. The Jungle/Drum n Bass scene, an offshoot of the local Rave scene, had just started to take shape and really flourish among the nightlife culture in the tri-state area. Along with that, underground record stores like Temple and Throb pushed the Trip Hop and Downtempo sound hard. Weekly parties like Giant Step caught on big time and, with them, Acid Jazz became a thing. Also, some of the biggest Jungle producers were morphing their dancefloor oriented records into the subgenres we called Intelligent or Jazzy. The sounds of underground dance music and hardcore Hip Hop was quickly sneaking its way into bars, lounges and restaurants and I was doing all I could to help it along.
At the time, there was a very popular bar in the Lower East Side called Bar XVI. The address was 16 First Avenue, close to First Street, so it was easy to give directions, we would just say it's on First and First. That whole neighborhood has long been know to have a very diverse nightlife and bar culture. So many hip spots to drink and hear a great band or any number of incredible DJs spinning underground dance music on the weekends, and many of the city's most famous afterhours. Bar XVI, which I believe is now an Asian themed place, was probably the single most well known among the local diehard Ravers and Junglists as the place to be on weeknights to catch some of our best mix masters at a small comfy and welcoming neighborhood bar.
I was hired to be the resident sound guy at the bar in late 97, maybe early 98. I had just purchased a pair of Cerwin Vega bass bins from a friend in Brooklyn. The owner of the bar, Dave, was in the process of renovating the basement and wanted to install a proper DJ booth with a booming sound system downstairs. So, I sold him my new bass bins and got to work. At that point, the bar had a small DJ Booth upstairs, where it was set up like a fancy lounge and a more club style booth downstairs with room for dancing. And, since asshat Mayor Giuliani was working hard to enforce broken windows policing and gentrification, we certainly had our fair share of battles with noise complaints, and eventually had to deal with outdated cabaret laws which stated patrons could not dance.
Nonetheless, those few years turned out to be one of the most cherished periods throughout my DJ career. At the bar, I had a closet with my own key where I kept my entire vinyl collection stored and ready to bust out anytime they needed a DJ to fill in or open or close or even take on the entire night. I was hired to play every Friday from open until midnight when DJ Chill Freeze would take over for the rest of the night. He and I spun music upstairs in the lounge. That was when I really got to test my skills as a versatile open format DJ. I was able to push the boundaries of underground Hip Hop and the Trip Hop and Acid Jazz sounds of the Nineties. I could get a little tricky and creative with my mixes since no one was really dancing, they were more so listening to the music and taking it all in.
One night, I was spinning tunes for the bar, it must've been around 10PM, there was a decent crowd there as usual. I had my head down concentrating on executing the next mix. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and looked slightly down to make eye contact with Bjork. There she was, this short, smiley faced, little crinkly nosed singer who's records I often spun in the form of remixes and mashups. She just wanted to compliment me on my DJing style and asked if it was ok for her and her date, famous Trip Hop producer Howie B, to hang behind the booth and buy me some drinks. I told them sure and not to worry because I drank for free all night. I shared some of my weed with them and I am certain she remembers the night she spent hanging out at Bar XVI in NYC.
I told that story to tell you this - starting tonight, my wife, Mary, and I will begin hosting and DJing at a place here in Lake Wroth, Florida, about a ten minute drive from our tiny homestead. The place is called The Chill Room. It is a kava bar which also serves kratom, CBD, teas and coffee as well as food and snacks. It is also a hookah and vape lounge with a pool table and board games. They have a smoking and vaping supply shop in the back which is also attached to their glass blowing studio where you can even take a class and create your own glass piece.
The bar is quite hip and cozy with plenty of room for socializing, comfy seating and a couple of tables and chairs outside. The staff is family, literally, and super cool. The place is family and dog friendly. There is always something visually pleasing on the screens which matches the vibes for the night. They play an eclectic blend of musical genres and often have live music including an open mic every Wednesday. There is never a cover to get in and you don't have to be a certain age, young children attend very occasionally with their parents.
The owner, Rob, told me they usually do Marley Mondays, to which I responded, "goes perfect with our theme". We are using this as an opportunity to revive a podcast/mixtape series I have been doing since 1999 called Blessed Sessions, which has always been a cannabis infused set of underground Hip Hop, Trip Hop, Downtempo, Acid Jazz, dub and overall chill vibes; perhaps some deep and soulful house. We intend to start the party after work for a happy hour, meaning around 4:20PM, with a little music from the Grateful Dead, then I will take to the decks and mix until the the staff is ready to clean up and lock the doors. I intend to bring back those weekday bar vibes with music for the heads. Hope to see you there!
Here is a link to The Chill Room's website.
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