I love music. I have always loved music, which was greatly influenced by my musical family. As a child, I played trumpet and piano, and danced ballet. I've since lost those skills, but learned a lot about music in the process. I joined the cultural crave in the 90's when Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was hot, and got excited about swing dancing. I did theater in high school because that's what my brothers did, and I adore my brothers. Theater is a part of what shaped me. So when I could combine all of those things and perform in my school musical in a swing number, I was thrilled! And hooked. Post-high school, I looked up the swing dance club in college. Utah State swing dance club introduced me to the right connections. This is where the addiction begins.
One thing led to another, and now I'm a DJ! The end.
Just kidding.
With the right connections, I was soon invited to my first event. Phoenix Lindy exchange 2004 was my first experience traveling to dance and I LOVED every second. I am a person who loves close connection, and in those days, blues was not as open-dance style as it is now. The connection I felt with my first blues lesson was much different than the connection I felt when I Lindy'd. The addiction grows.
I'm a very affectionate person. In my youth, I was taught that was an unfortunate personality flaw. But on the blues floor, *some* of those affectionate behavior qualities were appreciated (consider I was 19, and hadn't yet learned what appropriate affectionate behavior was, as I'm positive many of you have experienced for yourself when dancing with someone in that same stage of life).
So I meet this guy during our spring break dance trip to Sacramento and San Fransisco. We happen to have the most amazing connection I've ever felt. We later learned that we connected on many many levels, off the dance floor too. So I fell in love with him. 5 months later, when he graduated from college, he wanted to move. I wanted to move. So we chose a city we liked, took a leap of faith, and moved our lives to Seattle, together, where the dance scene is so developed that we have our pick on almost any night of the week.
What did we pick? House parties. Oh ya. They're awesome. I couldn't get enough of them. The problem was, I didn't always like the music. I'd come home and play with my music, and my boyfriend and I would dance in the kitchen to the songs I liked the most. The DJ side of me begins.
This is when I start volunteering to DJ at house parties to ensure the music would be good. I start throwing house parties of my own. My favorite house party was our engagement party. If you haven't figured it out yet, the spring break fling was Michael. And I married him.
Volunteering for parties as a DJ got me heard by local organizers. The timing was perfect. 2 people were working on starting this new weekly blues venue since the once-a-month Blues Underground just wasn't satisfying Seattle's need for blues. I got invited to the first "Burn Blue" meeting.
The first few months of Burn Blue were rocky for me, as a DJ. There was a requirement for 75% real blues music, and 25% whatever you want to blues dance to. Since most house parties are more like 75% not blues, but danceable music. I felt that if I was going to be a DJ, I'd better know at least a little about what I was doing. The research begins.
I'd collected a lot of music that I knew little about. Of course, music organization and studying never really stops, but this story is about when it started. Having the opportunity to be one of Burn Blue's first DJs sent me on a spiral of new adventures. I spent hours doing online research on websites like http://www.history-of-rock.com/blues.htm and the like. I got books from the library and spent hours just listening to music. I took a DJ workshop from Steven Watkins, and spent hours with other blues dancers talking music. "That song is jazz." "That song is classic rock that you can dance to, but it's still not blues." "Nope still not blues, that's jazz again." until I finally understand what they meant. They wanted music that wouldn't make people want to Lindy while they worked on teaching open-position blues. Many many blues dancers had started as Lindy-hoppers first, and didn't quite know hot to dance to up-beat blues.
That said, I started learning about the music I'd acquired, and realized I had all the wrong music. And so the research on blues dives even deeper. If I'm going to get new music, I'm going to make sure it's the right music. And without that research, I would never had gotten any Mahalia Jackson. I love her.
After years of being able to DJ, and volunteering to DJ at events, I finally feel confident enough to write this blog. This is my passion, this is my community, this is my life. And I love it.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Pirated music
In Mike the girl's words:
http://www.facebook.com/aspyre?v=wall&story_fbid=139968789349764#!/note.php?note_id=10150198586270013
This is why I post my set lists, as a reference for you to go the store and purchase the album or song. emusic.com, cdbaby.com and of course ebay and Amazon are all good sources for new music. Used CD stores will have a blues section for you, the library is a good reference too. When you get paid to DJ, go buy a new album (or pay off the credit card you've been using to purchase music . . usually what I have to do . . :)
In addition, nothing beats live music. Go out to live music as much as possible. I totally salute Portland for making a dance event out of already planned live music performances. To be a good DJ, you find music everywhere, especially from live performances in random places.
http://www.facebook.com/aspyre?v=wall&story_fbid=139968789349764#!/note.php?note_id=10150198586270013
This is why I post my set lists, as a reference for you to go the store and purchase the album or song. emusic.com, cdbaby.com and of course ebay and Amazon are all good sources for new music. Used CD stores will have a blues section for you, the library is a good reference too. When you get paid to DJ, go buy a new album (or pay off the credit card you've been using to purchase music . . usually what I have to do . . :)
In addition, nothing beats live music. Go out to live music as much as possible. I totally salute Portland for making a dance event out of already planned live music performances. To be a good DJ, you find music everywhere, especially from live performances in random places.
Monday, July 5, 2010
DJ Tip #2: Creating the energy with smooth transitions
Just having the right music is not enough to make a great DJ. You have know when to play which type of song. You have to pay attention to what is going on in the room and contribute to it in your own way.
The first song you play sets the tone of your set (thank you DJ Brenda Starr for teaching me this). Start with something that's going to get people off their butts and onto the floor. If you start slow, and choose a song that is low-energy, you're setting your set up to be low on energy. However, if you start too high, choose a song with an intense amount of energy, that is not something you can or want to maintain your entire set. Start with a song that will pick people up without being too much overkill too early on. If you start your set with "The thrill is gone," then the thrill will be gone.This is a general guideline. There are, of course, exceptions. For example, if the prior DJ had a crazy-high energy set, you don't want to drop that energy, you want to continue with it. This is a good time to start your set with something really high in energy.
Transitioning from song to song is an art. You want your music to flow from one to the next, but to also have variety. Let me further explain variety, a word which everyone knows, but some DJ have a difficult concept with. Variety is several different kinds. There are several different kinds of blues, there are several different levels on energy within those different kinds of blues, and there several different tempos within those energy levels. Feel them, listen to how one song sounds next to the other. They need to be different from each other, but sound smooth next to each other. A good way to make sure smooth transitions happen for you is to get a second sound card, or a way to preview a song before you play it so that you know it sounds good. It takes a little practice so give yourself a break if you get poor feedback your first couple times. Keep at it, you'll get it.
Lets talk about energy transitions.
Say I'm following a really fantastic DJ, like Steven Watkins, and he ends his set with "You are my sunshine" by Ray Charles. That song creates such an awesome high, fun energy in the room that just makes you want to jump up and scream for more! If I get on right after him and start with "Little Wing" by Stevie Ray Vaughn, it's like I'm pulling the drain plug out of hot bathtub and letting all that hot water down the drain for no reason at all. Why would I do that? "Little Wing" is an absolutely fantastic song, and when played at the right time, creates the perfect, really sexy atmosphere for dancing. But if I play it then, I suck at timing, and no one wants a DJ who sucks at timing. The idea here is that 2 songs rhythms making a smooth transition just isn't enough. All things factor in: energy, tempo, mood, type of blues (rock blues vs jazz blues for example), time of night, the people on the dance floor. ALL of these things, and probably a few things I've forgotten to mention, are important when determining the songs you're going to play. "What should I play next?" Take it from Dr. Feelgood himself and play something that's going to want them screaming for more.
One last thing to note here: When deciding what to play, please consider if you're overplaying that song. No one likes a predictable DJ.
Lets talk about energy transitions.
Say I'm following a really fantastic DJ, like Steven Watkins, and he ends his set with "You are my sunshine" by Ray Charles. That song creates such an awesome high, fun energy in the room that just makes you want to jump up and scream for more! If I get on right after him and start with "Little Wing" by Stevie Ray Vaughn, it's like I'm pulling the drain plug out of hot bathtub and letting all that hot water down the drain for no reason at all. Why would I do that? "Little Wing" is an absolutely fantastic song, and when played at the right time, creates the perfect, really sexy atmosphere for dancing. But if I play it then, I suck at timing, and no one wants a DJ who sucks at timing. The idea here is that 2 songs rhythms making a smooth transition just isn't enough. All things factor in: energy, tempo, mood, type of blues (rock blues vs jazz blues for example), time of night, the people on the dance floor. ALL of these things, and probably a few things I've forgotten to mention, are important when determining the songs you're going to play. "What should I play next?" Take it from Dr. Feelgood himself and play something that's going to want them screaming for more.
One last thing to note here: When deciding what to play, please consider if you're overplaying that song. No one likes a predictable DJ.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Show Me Blues 2010
Okay, going to an event over my birthday weekend is probably the best idea I've ever had. My wonderful husband allowed me to leave him and baby behind and take my girlfriend, Amolly, leaving me free of responsibility all weekend.
We arrived in St. Louis on Thursday night and started thinking about what we wanted to do during the day on Friday. Not realizing that Graceland was a drivable distance, we almost planned to rent a car and drive to Graceland during the day Friday. Then we realized that it wasn't THAT close. Next year, if we don't make it to Bluesalicious, we'll fly into Memphis first just for the Elvis touring.
So what we did instead was tour the arch and downtown on Friday before the evening dance.
The entire weekend of dancing ROCKED. Being in a completely separate scene from my own, I met a ton of new people, had some amazing new dances, and admired the different culture of the central US, including the square-brick architecture.
The City Museum is, by itself, worth the trip out to St. Louis. A giant adult (and kid-friendly) playground where grown people can climb through tunnels and go down huge slides. Incredible!
Saturday night there was a DJ battle from midnight-3AM. It was crazy fun! I love DJ battles, even though they suck what little energy I have left out of me! The first round I ROCKED it, and moved on to the second round. During the second round, I was a bit drained, and could have done better. I learned something about DJ battles: Yes, it's important to transition from whatever the other DJ is playing, but it's more important to play something that's going to blow everyone's skirts up. And so I know for next time to not let the other DJ throw me off so much!
Here is what I played for the DJ battle: some of my personal favorites
A Woman Knows by Janiva Magness
I Don't Know by Ruth Brown
Just Won't Burn by Susan Tedeschi
I Got the Blues by Brother Yusef
My Daddy Rocks Me by Blue Harlem (thanks, Karissa :)
Baby what you Want me to do by Etta James
Got My Mojo Workin' by Asylum Street Spankers
Brown Eyed Blues by Ben Harper (a poor choice, but it worked)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken by Mavis Staples (a great song poorly placed)
I learned a lot, I won my place in next year's Show Me Blues, and I made some great memories.
Fortunately for me, I got even more time to play my blues for the crowd. The DJ schedule had a few holes in the DJ schedule that I got to fill in for! My 2 sets:
Love Me Like a Man by Bonnie Raitt
You're Sweet by Jimmy Rogers
Wrong Kind of Love by The Insomniacs
Little Red Rooster by Big Mama Thornton
Honest I Do by Jimmy Reed
Walkin' After Midnight by Madeleine Peyroux
You're Imagination by Sonny Boy Williamson
I Lost Everything by Charles Brown
Red Hot Kisses by Fiona Boyes
Down by Chris Thomas King
Can You Hear Me Now by Robin Rogers
Crying and Trying by Erica Brown Band
Rock Me Baby by B.B. King and Eric Clapton
StatesBoro Blues by Taj Mahal
Rollin' Stone by Muddy Waters
Two Trains Running by Zora Young
Going' Down Country by Doug MacLeod
I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers
Cool Disposition by Sonny Boy Williamson
Death Cam a Knockin' (Travelin' Shoes) by Ruthie Foster
I Just Want To Make Love To You by Muddy Waters
Since I Fell For You by Seth Walker
Evil Ways by Otis Spann
Killing Yourself On Purpose by Scrapomatic
Roll With Me by Deborah Coleman
I'm a King Bee by Corky Siegel
If You Wear That Velvet Dress by Bono (requested song :)
Relax by Elvis Presley
Basin Street Blues by Dr. John
Homesick Blues by Charles Brown
Possum Hand by Watermelon Slim
Blues For Mama by Nina Simone
Ironically enough, the song that caught my attention the most was played by Tyler Robbins, the DJ I battled against during my second round. The song is called "Knockin'" By Luminescent Orchestrii.
To the DJs at the event, you're music is inspiring. To one of the best hosts I've ever had, THANK YOU, Jenni, you were great! To old friends I hadn't seen in a while, I'm SO happy you were there! To all my new friends, I'll be seeing you next year. You all made the weekend what it was, phenomenally awesome.
To all my friends who missed it, I hope you don't make that same mistake twice ;)
We arrived in St. Louis on Thursday night and started thinking about what we wanted to do during the day on Friday. Not realizing that Graceland was a drivable distance, we almost planned to rent a car and drive to Graceland during the day Friday. Then we realized that it wasn't THAT close. Next year, if we don't make it to Bluesalicious, we'll fly into Memphis first just for the Elvis touring.
So what we did instead was tour the arch and downtown on Friday before the evening dance.
The entire weekend of dancing ROCKED. Being in a completely separate scene from my own, I met a ton of new people, had some amazing new dances, and admired the different culture of the central US, including the square-brick architecture.
The City Museum is, by itself, worth the trip out to St. Louis. A giant adult (and kid-friendly) playground where grown people can climb through tunnels and go down huge slides. Incredible!
Saturday night there was a DJ battle from midnight-3AM. It was crazy fun! I love DJ battles, even though they suck what little energy I have left out of me! The first round I ROCKED it, and moved on to the second round. During the second round, I was a bit drained, and could have done better. I learned something about DJ battles: Yes, it's important to transition from whatever the other DJ is playing, but it's more important to play something that's going to blow everyone's skirts up. And so I know for next time to not let the other DJ throw me off so much!
Here is what I played for the DJ battle: some of my personal favorites
A Woman Knows by Janiva Magness
I Don't Know by Ruth Brown
Just Won't Burn by Susan Tedeschi
I Got the Blues by Brother Yusef
My Daddy Rocks Me by Blue Harlem (thanks, Karissa :)
Baby what you Want me to do by Etta James
Got My Mojo Workin' by Asylum Street Spankers
Brown Eyed Blues by Ben Harper (a poor choice, but it worked)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken by Mavis Staples (a great song poorly placed)
I learned a lot, I won my place in next year's Show Me Blues, and I made some great memories.
Fortunately for me, I got even more time to play my blues for the crowd. The DJ schedule had a few holes in the DJ schedule that I got to fill in for! My 2 sets:
Love Me Like a Man by Bonnie Raitt
You're Sweet by Jimmy Rogers
Wrong Kind of Love by The Insomniacs
Little Red Rooster by Big Mama Thornton
Honest I Do by Jimmy Reed
Walkin' After Midnight by Madeleine Peyroux
You're Imagination by Sonny Boy Williamson
I Lost Everything by Charles Brown
Red Hot Kisses by Fiona Boyes
Down by Chris Thomas King
Can You Hear Me Now by Robin Rogers
Crying and Trying by Erica Brown Band
Rock Me Baby by B.B. King and Eric Clapton
StatesBoro Blues by Taj Mahal
Rollin' Stone by Muddy Waters
Two Trains Running by Zora Young
Going' Down Country by Doug MacLeod
I'll Take You There by The Staple Singers
Cool Disposition by Sonny Boy Williamson
Death Cam a Knockin' (Travelin' Shoes) by Ruthie Foster
I Just Want To Make Love To You by Muddy Waters
Since I Fell For You by Seth Walker
Evil Ways by Otis Spann
Killing Yourself On Purpose by Scrapomatic
Roll With Me by Deborah Coleman
I'm a King Bee by Corky Siegel
If You Wear That Velvet Dress by Bono (requested song :)
Relax by Elvis Presley
Basin Street Blues by Dr. John
Homesick Blues by Charles Brown
Possum Hand by Watermelon Slim
Blues For Mama by Nina Simone
Ironically enough, the song that caught my attention the most was played by Tyler Robbins, the DJ I battled against during my second round. The song is called "Knockin'" By Luminescent Orchestrii.
To the DJs at the event, you're music is inspiring. To one of the best hosts I've ever had, THANK YOU, Jenni, you were great! To old friends I hadn't seen in a while, I'm SO happy you were there! To all my new friends, I'll be seeing you next year. You all made the weekend what it was, phenomenally awesome.
To all my friends who missed it, I hope you don't make that same mistake twice ;)
Friday, May 14, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Mile High Blues 2010: Denver
Maybe it was all of the people, and a scene I didn't know. Maybe it was the competitions. Maybe it was the specific workshops I took. Maybe it was being able to DJ next to national head-liner DJs. Or a combination of all of the above. Whatever the reason, I found this weekend to be particularly inspiring, not just for my dancing, but also for my DJing.
I only took 2 classes, but they made a big difference:
Damon and Heidi brilliantly brought dancing back to the basics, at an advanced level. I took the class as a lead, and, big surprise, it improved my follow.
Mike Legett and Reuel Reis gave everyone a 5 minute spotlight where they danced and got criticized. As many private lessons as I've taken, I have to say that Mike's feedback on my dancing was the most inspiring 5 minutes of my blues-dancing career.
Dispite the confusion of the workshops due to lack of organizational communication, the weekend was put together well. Great bands, great teachers, great DJs, and great venues. I especially loved the late-night band with Sean Morse, joined with the evening's hot harmonica player. The coolest thing to me was that there was the harmonica class during the Sunday workshops! There needs to be one of these at every event!
Once again, DJ Lil' Red, Whitton Frank caught my attention. My favorite song from the weekend was when she played "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno, from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.
My set lists for the weekend:
Friday evening band breaks:
Ernestine Anderson - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Susan Tedeschi - Friar's Point
B.B. King - Blind Love
James Cotton Blues Band - The Blues Keep Falling
Jimmy Read - When Girls Do It
Eddie Vinson - Ashes On My Pillow
Kirk Fletcher - Blues for Boo Boo
Charles Brown - I Lost Everything
Nathan James & Ben Hernandez - Don't Forget It
Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me
Janiva Magness - Ain't Lost Nothin'
Dizzy Gillespie - summertime
Taj Mahal - Going up to the Country
Fiona Boyes - Canned Heat
James Cotton Blues Band - Off the Wall
Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful
Brother Yusef - Love & the Blues
Ray Charles - Every Saturday Night
Friday late night at the art studio:
Nina Simone - Buck
Nick Curran - Oh Baby
Scrapomatic - Louisana Anna
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - Stranger Here
Etta James - If I Can't Have You
Susan Tedeschi - Magnificent Sanctuary Band
Ellen Whyte - Falling
Muddy Waters - I Just Want to Make Love To You
Nora Michaels - Black Coffee
The 8th Day - She's Not Just Another Woman
Nickel Creek - I Should've Known Better
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - It's Alright
Jimmy "T-99" Nelson - Hurt Three Ways
Gordon Webster - Mo'Better Blues
Mavis Staples - Will the Circle Be Unbroken
I only took 2 classes, but they made a big difference:
Damon and Heidi brilliantly brought dancing back to the basics, at an advanced level. I took the class as a lead, and, big surprise, it improved my follow.
Mike Legett and Reuel Reis gave everyone a 5 minute spotlight where they danced and got criticized. As many private lessons as I've taken, I have to say that Mike's feedback on my dancing was the most inspiring 5 minutes of my blues-dancing career.
Dispite the confusion of the workshops due to lack of organizational communication, the weekend was put together well. Great bands, great teachers, great DJs, and great venues. I especially loved the late-night band with Sean Morse, joined with the evening's hot harmonica player. The coolest thing to me was that there was the harmonica class during the Sunday workshops! There needs to be one of these at every event!
Once again, DJ Lil' Red, Whitton Frank caught my attention. My favorite song from the weekend was when she played "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno, from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.
My set lists for the weekend:
Friday evening band breaks:
Ernestine Anderson - Please Send Me Someone To Love
Susan Tedeschi - Friar's Point
B.B. King - Blind Love
James Cotton Blues Band - The Blues Keep Falling
Jimmy Read - When Girls Do It
Eddie Vinson - Ashes On My Pillow
Kirk Fletcher - Blues for Boo Boo
Charles Brown - I Lost Everything
Nathan James & Ben Hernandez - Don't Forget It
Susan Tedeschi - Wait For Me
Janiva Magness - Ain't Lost Nothin'
Dizzy Gillespie - summertime
Taj Mahal - Going up to the Country
Fiona Boyes - Canned Heat
James Cotton Blues Band - Off the Wall
Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful
Brother Yusef - Love & the Blues
Ray Charles - Every Saturday Night
Friday late night at the art studio:
Nina Simone - Buck
Nick Curran - Oh Baby
Scrapomatic - Louisana Anna
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - Stranger Here
Etta James - If I Can't Have You
Susan Tedeschi - Magnificent Sanctuary Band
Ellen Whyte - Falling
Muddy Waters - I Just Want to Make Love To You
Nora Michaels - Black Coffee
The 8th Day - She's Not Just Another Woman
Nickel Creek - I Should've Known Better
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - It's Alright
Jimmy "T-99" Nelson - Hurt Three Ways
Gordon Webster - Mo'Better Blues
Mavis Staples - Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Friday, February 26, 2010
DJ Tip #1: Know Your Shit
As a blues DJ, you WILL get asked "what makes a song a blues song?" You will have people tell you if you are or aren't playing blues. You will have people request "could you please play more blues." As a blues DJ, you sure as hell better know what blues is. If you're unsure, or need a refresher, here are a few suggestions on how to learn more about blues:
- Understand blues history. Go back to the roots of the music. Spend time reading books from the library about blues history, or biographies of some of the first blues musicians. You can find out who some of the first blues musicians are by looking up blues history. Seriously, just google "blues history." It's more entertaining than you might think. Videos like this are the fun part.
- Listen to as many different blues artists as possible. Again, you will get this information by reading about blues. Once you have a good list of artists from your reading, go to a used CD store, or the library, and get blues music to listen to. This is also a good time to make it out to as many blues venues as possible (including live blues, if it's available), and listen to as many different DJs as you can.
- Know what is not blues, but is commonly played at blues dances: jazz, trip-hop, gospel, soul, R&B, sometimes electronica, hip-hop, and classic rock. Know the differences when you hear them. You may not be able to describe the difference of genres in words, but you should know them when you them.
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