Passing the Torch...
Posted on Jun 3, 2010
Several summers ago, I took my first, small, timid steps playing out in front of a live audience. James, Colleen and I had planned on grabbing some drinks at the Anza Club on a Saturday night. Colleen knew it was an open decks night and suggested I grab my record bag and vie for one of the free time slots. Thus far, I'd only played in front of people at a series of after-parties over the preceding couple of months.
At the Anza that night, it turns out that Marty McFly and I were the only two DJs that bothered showing up. We ended up tagging back and forth until closing time. I didn't trainwreck any of my mixes, the impromptu tag worked out surprisingly well, and we got people up and moving until the very end. All in all, it was an awesome - albeit deafening - first outing.
Several months of being thrown into the deep end with a bunch of techno DJs definitely helped me out with the impromptu tag team. Marty played a big part too in limiting my screw ups too. Marty - besides being a seasoned DJ - was and is an all-around good guy. He definitely helped me find my legs, chill out and enjoy the whole process and was amazingly tolerant of all the epic prog I ended up playing. James and Colleen also provided the additional, necessary moral support, giving me enthusiastic thumbs up whenever I succeeded in keeping a mix on the rails.
Years later, Soundproof has established a recurring presence at the Anza, and the evening has become a definite fixture in a lot of our lives. And, as my evening in 2005 ended up being a passing the torch in some ways, so I hope this upcoming Saturday proves to be the same for another recent addition to our crew. Kurtis has been attending and helping out with Soundproof events for several years now, and this Saturday he'll get his first opportunity to play out in front of a crowd.
While I've had the opportunity to mentor Kurtis a little over the last two months, I can confidently say there's no need for anymore of my tutelage past this upcoming weekend. Everyone eventually reaches the point where the best way to learn is to put yourself out there in front of a crowd as often as possible. I'm pretty excited to hear him play, so, I hope you can join us at the Anza on Saturday, starting at 9:00pm.
As usual, no cover, cheap drinks, plenty of familiar faces. Pack in, and let's give Kurtis a warm welcome!
kpd
- Jones
At the Anza that night, it turns out that Marty McFly and I were the only two DJs that bothered showing up. We ended up tagging back and forth until closing time. I didn't trainwreck any of my mixes, the impromptu tag worked out surprisingly well, and we got people up and moving until the very end. All in all, it was an awesome - albeit deafening - first outing.
Several months of being thrown into the deep end with a bunch of techno DJs definitely helped me out with the impromptu tag team. Marty played a big part too in limiting my screw ups too. Marty - besides being a seasoned DJ - was and is an all-around good guy. He definitely helped me find my legs, chill out and enjoy the whole process and was amazingly tolerant of all the epic prog I ended up playing. James and Colleen also provided the additional, necessary moral support, giving me enthusiastic thumbs up whenever I succeeded in keeping a mix on the rails.
Years later, Soundproof has established a recurring presence at the Anza, and the evening has become a definite fixture in a lot of our lives. And, as my evening in 2005 ended up being a passing the torch in some ways, so I hope this upcoming Saturday proves to be the same for another recent addition to our crew. Kurtis has been attending and helping out with Soundproof events for several years now, and this Saturday he'll get his first opportunity to play out in front of a crowd.
While I've had the opportunity to mentor Kurtis a little over the last two months, I can confidently say there's no need for anymore of my tutelage past this upcoming weekend. Everyone eventually reaches the point where the best way to learn is to put yourself out there in front of a crowd as often as possible. I'm pretty excited to hear him play, so, I hope you can join us at the Anza on Saturday, starting at 9:00pm.
As usual, no cover, cheap drinks, plenty of familiar faces. Pack in, and let's give Kurtis a warm welcome!
kpd
- Jones