So, here I am, minding my own business, when a musician friend of mine asks me if I want to audition for his new band. I do, and things go well. That was thirteen months ago.
Fast forward to today. Here I am, an 80s rocker who likes some of today's new rock, playing...
WHAT?
Yep...disco.
We had a great New Years Eve gig for a local catholic high school fundraiser, but realized we needed to add more "cheese" to keep folks of all ages on the dance floor. For our last two gigs, we added Get Down Tonight, by KC and the Sunshine Band, and Car Wash, by Rose Royce (see pics above of each).
Early returns have been favorable. Last week's gig was in a smaller venue. We had the place hopping until we finished at 2am. The new disco tunes, coupled with our standards for Jungle Boogie and Play That Funky Music, doubled the number of people on the dance floor, and the floor stayed packed for the rest of the night. Yesterday's gig was played in a larger venue, and the results were similar; folks came out of the woodwork when we played the disco tunes.
We're not giving up on the rock & roll; we also added Journey's Don't Stop Believin' to the set, to much fanfare. We realize, though, that certain venues need more cheese (dance), while others need more meat (rock).
More cheese, please!
3 comments:
It all goes back to the 80's and eventually Disco!...that's what gets all the cool, over-40 people moving. ;-)
I used to sit by the side lines at weddings, self-concious about what if I danced 'wrong', wishing I could have fun like my younger cousins. The dance remix of AC/DC's She Shook Me All Night Long got me out to the dance floor at one wedding about 2 or 3 years ago and I've never looked back!
Yeah, Journey! Is that also a subtle shout-out to the Tribe??
At our wedding, the DJ put on one country song. *One*. And the dancers scattered off the floor like mice before a cat. He yanked that song dang quick and put on Electric Slide (for the second time that night.) Everybody came running back like mice going for cheese. :)
J - yeah, on our first date "Shook Me All Night Long" was the first song the future Mrs. Quipper and I ever danced to. I wouldn't recommend it now, you may hurt something. :-)
Barb - our band was asked to play "Electric Slide" once. We politely refused. And, no, the Journey tune is not a Tribe reference; I understand it is a "hit" with the kids.
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