DJ Spider!, in full

0:47Hi friends, happy Sunday, happy Easter, happy Ostera. Um, thank you so much for joining us on Unwritten Rules of the Road. Um, I am Tash and we are joined today by the incredible DJ Spider who we love so much. Hi Yay, you're so far away. Hi. Hi from where you're from. Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you. Thank you so much for being here with us. Absolutely. For you guys, anything. A loves loves. So, how are things? How how are things in Charlotte? How is Digital Things are are good. I think this weekend was probably the last perfect weekend we're going to have

1:34right before things get really hot. Like everything has been like it was like in the 70s and 80s during the day, but the nights have been like in the 60s, but there was a breeze, so like no humidity. It was just a perfect weekend for all the things that happened this weekend. But um no uh the scene is is alive and healthy and loving on each other and it makes me happy to see it happen because not every scene gets to have that luck, you know? It it comes with work, but it's it's always nice to see it move along at the way it's supposed to go.

2:02So, yeah, we're good. I I think you have a lot to do with the love that has been going in the scene. I think you I I I like to joke that I'm the fairy goth mother and like we will turn this scene around right now if you guys um but no I mean I' I've been I have the the I guess the advantage of longevity because I've been DJing in Charlotte for over 20 years. Um I've been a DJ for over 35 but in Charlotte alone for 20. So uh I wouldn't call myself necessarily a fixture. Um but I'm recognizable. So I think having consistency like one a

2:39couple of people that are and we do have several DJs that have been in the scene over the years on and off and and we're all running nights right now. So having pillars I guess that are are recognizable that people can go to and and move around with. It's actually kind of interesting. Uh people I've been doing it long enough where when I got here I saw people meet in the club and then they got married and then they vanished. You know they didn't come out for a while. they had kids and now they come out and they bring their kids to the, you know, to the events. So,

3:09because of my events 18 and up, they're bringing their kids like, "Hey, look, this is my son." I'm like, "That's awesome. I'm not babysitting. Like, you have to take him home at the end of the night like doing this." Um, but I love that they're exposing their kids. Like, their kids probably grew up with the music, you know, in the house anyway, right? like they grew up with whatever we were listening to 20 years ago and their parents have exposed them to that music and they've been interested enough in it to know how did your parents party like how many people like how many we're

3:38generational right now in Charlotte it hasn't skipped a generation it's actually continuing a generation into a new one and so people are they're showing their kids and the kids are like this is cool this is how mom and dad used to hang out but I also love that the parents are like no these are safe events for my kids like I I know if if they're here things are good and I guess it's like from as from a parental point of view, it's nice to know where your kids are, you know, that they're in an environment that's, you know, safe and protective and we are very nurturing and

4:05we're very protective of our people. So, um, it's it's interesting to watch all that come around the second time around. So, I'm sure at some point somebody's going to introduce me to their grandkids and I'll be just like, I'm done. I think that's amazing. I mean was it was it like that for you? Um like it it like was the scene like this um from the very beginning or have you seen it grow and evolve? I have seen it grow and evolve. So I moved here from Atlanta in 2001 2002 and the Atlanta scene was at that point a little fractured. there were competing nights and there were

4:47drama between promoters, usually because somebody had dated somebody else and it had gone the way that sometimes those things go. Um, and so coming to Charlotte, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But Charlotte at that point had actually lost their scenes. Um, and usually when one scene dies down, it picks up in another city, right? It like things kind of eb and flow. It's hard to keep a good goth down. Like it goes down in one place and it rises like a phoenix somewhere else and then it comes down and rises somewhere else. So Scallet had kind of died down in Greensboro was where most of the gothy things were

5:16happening. I came back to town and there were a couple people that were trying to do a goth night and I was like I can DJ that's cool. So I started working with a club here called Garos and people started coming out again and then there was another club a couple years later called the Breakfast Club which was an 80s club just strictly 80s club. We had a Thursday night that was called um and I'm going to totally forget Resurrection. Was that what it was? No. Wow. Retroactive. Wow. We have a lot of names with Rs in the town. So, Retroactive was that one. And

5:46Retroactive Thursdays was just an alt new wave '8s night. And it was fun because at that point there were just some people just like '8s, but you know that's kind of goth adjacent, right? Because you got the Cure, you've got the Pesh Mode, you've got all these influential bands that kind of circle around at that formative point. So, people got into the scene and like, "Oh, wait. This is Goth. did not realize it. Um, so that was a big event for a long time and I watched I used to joke that we had a Gothic outreach program. If somebody new came out that we didn't

6:17know, we made sure someone went to go say hi to them and made sure to go and welcome them into the scene or just say, "Hey, hi. Like your pants, like neat shoes." Um, and the bartenders were part of that, too. Like everybody was super supportive. I mean, the 80s are just fun, right? Like it's a fun vibe there anyway. So, um, we got to know a lot of people and watch people come in and it was a very cohesive thing where it wasn't like this again that generation gap where you've got the elder goths and you've got the baby bats and there's nothing in between. They were dating

6:46each other. They were hanging out with each other. They were like doing things. So, we had that big buring in like the 2000s of sorts. Um, and then things just continued. I think the pandemic was probably the biggest trigger. I think before that, not only in Charlotte, but in other scenes, um, from traveling and and doing some small tours, I saw a lot of a lot of nights are very insular. A lot of cities were like, "Oh, we have everything we need right here. Like, we don't need to go any place else." Then the pandemic hit and nobody could do go anywhere else. We couldn't do anything.

7:18So, you got online and, you know, with social media and everything else, all of a sudden, you remember there was a whole world out there. Like, there are scenes going on all over the place. And also as DJs, I think we realized that there were areas that didn't have scenes, like people we knew that had moved places that didn't have scenes. Like they're an hour, two hours away. So they just didn't have that general regular interaction with like-minded people. So that brought them together online through Twitch and streaming. And then from there, I think coming out of the pandemic, I think people realized, hey, I know somebody in this town now, and I

7:49know know somebody over here, and I can go visit somebody here. And that travel started to happen again, and that circulation started to happen again. So anything that was sort of sitting sort of stagnant in any one town I think is starting to flow again. And I think that flow is sort of happening as because bands again are touring again which thank god um and you know people are traveling and they're doing road trips again and they're excited to go see another scene because they've seen them online or they've seen pictures or they've heard friends talk about it and so they want to go experience it. And I

8:19think in general that's helping all the scenes get a little bit healthier and a little bit more, you know, bring in new blood. Um, and to be fair, everything kind of comes around every 20 years. So I feel like, you know, there's a resurgence of emo that's happening all over the place. And so I think kids are things today are kind of rediscovering other roots and going back further um, and finding crossovers in places they didn't expect and realizing that there are welcoming communities everywhere for everyone. So, um, the fact that if you can, I mean, it's like finding your tribe. It's like finding your people,

8:52your family. You don't have to be related to them by blood, but you find you find friendships and you find those core memories and that's I think that's really important. I think that's where music plays a big part is in like capturing those core memories. Um, and Charlotte is definitely at that point. We have three nights that are all extremely strong. We have some side nights that are starting up in different areas. People are traveling to all of them. All the DJs get along. All the bars get along. All the venues get along. they cross, you know, we we go to each other's nights. We had a go

9:21Charlotte dark scene um New Year's Eve this year, this past New Year's we had at the milestone and um Tommy's pub, they closed and they came on New Year's because they wanted to come hang out and so we had DJs from all three nights playing that night. So everybody got to hear their favorite DJ representing all the nights and it's just a nice collective kind of like we all like each other. Like we even built like an entire calendar. We all know our dates. Why don't we just show them ahead of time and go, "Look, here's you can put this on your refrigerator. People still use

9:50magnets. Put it on your refrigerator and you still can see when the nights are and you can plan ahead." And that I think has made a world of difference for us just sharing and supporting each I think that's amazing. I mean, um, you know, I think it's one of those things like you were saying like not every city has um a a healthy flourishing community and it's so inspiring to see that. Um, you know, I I was wondering like, you know, what would you say are elements um that help to create a healthy community like that? I think it's I think it's listening. I think that's a lot of it is

10:28understanding like okay, where are their where pain points like where are the pain points? What's frustrating people? What what are they not able to get that they want? And if it's like we need more live music or we need more DJ nights or you know um we do we have our the Charlotte Dark Sing World Goth picnic every year and that's just a great way to be social with each other that doesn't involve a club and you can bring your kids out or your dogs or or whoever. Um I think listening to them um I think listening to everybody and also gratitude I guess like being

11:02thankful that we have it. I think that's a big part of it too is like always I think we all say thank you to each other a lot and we acknowledge that we've been supported by somebody or we've pointed out you know hey I saw this just wanted to let you know oh cool I didn't know so and so was I didn't know Alice was coming awesome thanks for letting me know or like hey I just found this cool band I wanted you to know about it or hey I see that there's an opening um these people are looking for a DJ I can't do it can you do it so I think by

11:30supporting each other and by being grateful about it. That positivity which sometimes feels like very um anti-goth like everybody assumes goths are very negative and very dark and I don't think we are. I think we just I mean I mean you're the darkest person I know Tash. I mean, honestly, you just need to like cheer up a little bit, right? Like, come on. But exactly. But it's that kind of positivity that I I think that people assume are in this is in the scene, but when they come and they see it and they realize that no, these are people that laugh and have fun and they're silly and

12:04they tell jokes and they they interact with each other as human beings and it's not just a bunch of people sitting around a casket in the forest like doing witchy woman things. It's part of it for some people, but it's not. You know, we're all humans, and I think that connection and being grateful that for that connection, I think that helps do a lot for a scene. Um, and realizing that it's I don't want to say the greater good necessarily, but like it's not just about you and your night. It's about everybody. Like, did everybody have a good night? Did everybody do well? Have we all taken that moment to realize that

12:41we have something really special going on and not to look for the negatives, but to look for the positives? Like I see people at other nights that don't come to my night. I get it, right? Like if you live five minutes from Tommy's pub and that's a shorter drive for you to get home at the end of the night than going to the milestone because that's 30 35 minutes for you. I get it. I would love a five minute drive home myself. So yeah, that no harm, no foul. Like you found your night and you found the like the space feels right to you. You like

13:08the people, you like the music, you like the bartenders. Perfect. You found it. Good. I'm not going to get mad because why don't you come to my night? No, that's I'd love if you did, but if this works for you, that's what works for you. And I'm not going to like why would I go? No, you can't. You have to go to all the nights. No, you can't just do one. You have to do all of them. That's ridiculous. You have to support what works for you, but supporting just in general and recognizing that everybody does what they can in the way that they can do it. And I am always grateful that

13:37people come out and support the events. Like our scene is so good about when they hear there are multiple things going on, they go great. They don't just say I'm going to do this. They go I can do this and this. Like it's almost that improv things like and then you know but and then people find multiple things to do and then they coordinate with each other. It's like oh cool. Which one are you going to? Great. I want to do this and this and they make it happen. It's not just a one choice. When you have choices and being aware that you can make multiple choices and make those

14:07decisions, then they all just start going, "Oh, cool. I can do all of these things. I'll plan for this or I can only do one thing this month." Cool. I'm glad you can do one thing. That's like you you're you're going to connect at least one time this month with people that you love. Great. That's that's awesome. Yeah, absolutely. Um uh wanted to take a moment to to to say hi to everyone. Thank you so much for for joining us. Um, uh, Chris Kuritan says, uh, not having egos is what makes it a a great community. I love that for sure. And, um, I think that's a big part of it.

14:43Yeah. Yeah. Um, Pete Russo also is saying, um, Henry Rollins talks like this about the coastal punk scenes connecting in the late 70s and early 80s, and I love the fact that the spirit is still alive. That's awesome. I absolutely, you know what? I think the milestone has a lot to do with that. The Milestone is the old one of the oldest punk clubs in the US. It's it's actually four years older than CBGBs. It's the CBGBs of the the Southeast. And that DIY punk vibe is just ingrained in the the building, the walls, everything. And the the fact that everybody who works at the Milestone is

15:20in a band. They understand that DIY. They understand everybody's just starting out and doing what they can. And I think that's having done digital now there now for 10 years. That's how like I've I've seen a lot of that and I appreciate Tommy's pub. They're also very very supportive of underground scenes and and letting people be people and and then uh the group behind Shadowplay also they're they've been forever in this town and they also understand like it's it's the smaller people. It's the smaller groups that make things happen. Um, and yeah, if you get wrapped up in an ego, ego is just a threeletter word for a dork. I don't

16:03need it. It's ridiculous. So, um, and I think that's also why I run around and I act like a silly goose half the time because I like I have no e I don't want to have an ego. I don't want to ever be seen as that person who's like peering down at people down her nose. I mean, it's going to happen on tall, but like I'm not doing it to be like I'm not doing it to be mean. It's more like, you know, we can just take a minute and laugh. Take a minute and and I was actually talking with Voltera last night. Um he was in town for a show on

16:32Friday and ended up uh staying an extra day in Charlotte and he came out to Digital Noir, which was great. I feel like we've been graced with like goth royalty, which is great. Um but we had a really good conversation about, you know, we're entertainers. Like what we do is entertainment and we have to, you know, it's if you have a platform, you can do good with it. Absolutely. Like find find the place that works for you. Everybody's going to come at everything a little bit differently. If you have a message you want to spread, people will spread things differently. For me, my entertainment value is just like if I

17:01can make you forget, whatever's going on in your life for a few hours, then you know, and involve you in something else that's sort of a different vibe and a different space in your head that makes you smile and laugh and giggle, then like that's that's all I want. Like those are the two I want two things. I want that and I want at least one person to come up to the booth and ask who is this? Those are the only two things that I want to happen. I I will say from my experience of um of getting to music with you and play with

17:31you like um so for for those of you um who are who are joining us and who who haven't met DJ Spider um she is absolutely incredible um on on so many levels as a person as a DJ as as a community you know goth mother as you saying but I I just remember so we played at the milestone on my birthday for the first time we played in Charlotte and we played on go on on Gordon's birthday as well. That seems to be a tradition. Um, and I just I remember first of all you brought us snacks. Um, and like you got everyone to

18:08sing happy birthday to me with these little like birthday hats. It was like one of the sweetest moments and it was just I was like and you I remember you explained it to me and you were like, you know, I know what it's like to be on tour on your birthday. I know what that's like. And I mean just the fact that you you yourself like you know you you tour um and so you have a very deep understanding of that and you and as a result you turn it around and you're like okay this is this is how I want to be loved and nurtured. Um and you pay

18:38and you share that and I I just love that so much about you. Well I like surprising people with things they don't expect because it shows that you're I feel like people should pay attention. Like little things make a difference. Um, you never know how you're going to impact somebody at any point in time. Like there's the saying, it costs nothing to be kind. It doesn't like it doesn't if you can just say a kind word to somebody or you can say one nice thing even just again a please, a thank you or like, hey, you look great tonight. You know, something small like that, you don't know what somebody's

19:10going through in their head and it can make a huge difference to them. And when I saw online that, you know, I hadn't met you yet, but I already loved you and I was like, okay, this is a positive vibe. They're coming into town for the first time. Let's make sure you're on the road. You're traveling. I want to make sure if there's anything I can do because you don't know Charlotte, what do you need? Oranges, almond milk, got you covered. Not a problem. Um, and then when I saw the birthday thing, I was like, well, this cannot stand. We need to have that face. Just I think I had

19:38the most fun sneaking the party hats out was my favorite because I think the look on your face when all of a sudden all the little hats started popping in the audience and you were like what's going on? Oh my gosh. I had no idea. Like it really was completely surprised and it was amazing. your your band is, you know, the rest of Alice was also in on it, too. But it was it was, you know, that kind of thing was just like they were they were also down to to make sure you had a good time. So, that made it a lot easier, too. Best

20:11birthday on the road ever. And your playlists also like just bring so much joy. Like I every single time that we've played with you, I'm like, "What is this song? Oh, what's this?" I'm always dancing. I'm always having a good time. Like, mission accomplished. Seriously, I love playing with bands because there's not that I don't have to drive a dance floor, right? It's not all about I can play music that I want people to to listen to because I like them and I I like the song and I just it's crafting a vibe. It's it's just making the music flow because the bands are the priority.

20:47I am like an accessory. I am like the earrings on the rest of the the everything else that's going on. So, to play between bands is fun because I can just share music. uh dance floors, different vibe, different headsp space, that's sharing an energy versus like the energy levels are different with that. Um, but I've also having been a DJ for as long as I have, like I've got so many decades worth of music in my head. I love music and having like coming across something going, "Oh, when was the last time I played this?" 14 years. Okay, let's do it. You know, because it's

21:20probably been 14 years since somebody else heard it or maybe they just never knew that band existed. Again, for me, it's like anytime anybody like you got coming up and asking who is this? That's the best thing for a DJ because it's like cool. I've shared it. I always post my playlist after I do anything because and link as much as I can because I want people to go and buy the music and support the artists. And I think the pandemic especially, I was doing it before, but it just really landed in my head that for anybody that's an independent musician and that is a part

21:47of their their income, you know, whether or not they're maintaining a separate job, like losing it all of a sudden, like venues suddenly getting down. Not anything anybody could anticipate. So, how how do you keep that going? How do you support? And I think I saw that happening just in general when people started going out to bands again. They were buying the merch. they were supporting people. They've clicked on links. They've they've gone to Band Camp to buy things um because they heard it somewhere else or they were linked to something else. And that's fantastic to me. I think weirdly like I feel like social media was both a good and bad

22:23thing. We got online, we created profiles, we were sharing things, and then we realized everybody could see everything. So, we shut everything down. We got very compartmentalized, and we only shared with certain people, and we didn't really talk about things because it's private. It's like everybody's looking at my journal and so they stopped sharing. And when they stopped sharing, they stopped sharing bands they were listening to. They weren't sharing music videos. They weren't going, "Oh, I just heard this band." Nobody makes mixtapz anymore. I come from a generation where you made a mixtape and gave it to somebody because these are songs I liked. I thought you would, too.

22:54Nobody makes those anymore. Um, so to be able to come out of the pandemic and really go, "Here, here's my mixtape to the world. These are all the things that I like. you should track them down and listen to them and like them too. And people have started doing that again. They're sharing music like what you guys do with the Mad Hatter Army. You know, they're supporting each other. They're sharing that love across different cities. I see that happen with other bands where they've got their groups together and the groups share and talk about stuff. Hey, so and so, hey, my favorite band, Blank, is going to be in

23:23your city. You should totally check them out. That kind of sharing is it's it's vital to keep music going. It's vital to keep communities growing. Again, it's that cross-pollination of going, "Oh, great." Like, we had people at the Voltater Show that drove an hour or more to come in to see him play because he it's been so long since he's been in the area. That's dedication. Those are people that just it's like it's my dream come true. I'm finally seeing him. He's finally in town. That's like that's amazing to me. Like that's influence that it's like ah that connection is finally going to happen. And then when

23:55it's when you hear the after stories and everybody's had such a positive experience actually meeting an idol or meeting somebody they admire, then again it's just like you've just again it's that community that's fostered and growing and and continuing that positive vibe and that positive spin. So um yeah for me just sharing music old, new, weird, quirky. I mean I always expect at least one person to roll their eyes during one of my sets and go what really spider? Like I will say and because I know Chris Curtain and I'm really if at some point I can actually get a t-shirt that says because I do a lot of mashups

24:30because they make me laugh and they're silly. I want a t-shirt that because I literally watched him say I started to play something and he had a friend with me. She's like oh I love the sign goes no no no wait it's spider and there it is. So I really just wanted that no no wait spider like don't get your hopes. So I can translate to a shirt that says that. I think that is my entire vibe that and I am but a conduit for nonsense are is like my other slogan right now because yeah it's roll your eyes but like roll them at me. Don't

25:01roll them at other people. I know I'm being a goober. I know I'm playing like silly stuff but you're not wasting that energy that negative energy on somebody else. Point it at me. I'm good with it. I love it so much. I I was wondering actually um like how how you do find your music like are is there particular places that you go to or I am really lucky in that people will shoot like I put an all call out for requests before any digital noir because I want to know like what do you want to dance to like it's I'm that person likes to have the

25:36song ready to go then somebody come up and asking me for something I'm like well I don't have it I don't like to let people down so having that music ahead of time is great and people. You have such great taste. Like I haven't found out found so many new bands based on just people making requests and I go through all my request list afterwards and decipher the handwriting that I couldn't read at 1:30 in the morning the night before. But I look at those request lists and I'm like, "Oh, who is that? Oh, did not know who this was." Um, Band Camp, another great resource.

26:06Like there's so many so many bands on Band Camp that end up cross, you know, coming in my feed like, "Oh, so and so just bought this." I'm like, "Well, what's this?" And you listen. Um, weirdly enough, like just out of the, you know, just watching social media or just watching TV, like a band will show up in the background on something. I'm like, Shazam, that what is that? What is this? What is this song that's going on right now? And finding a way to to work it in um is great. Uh there are several groups on Facebook that like Sounds and Shadows is fantastic for like bands

26:41self-promoting and sharing a little bit there. I think Ken's done an amazing job of of fostering that community of also being super supportive. That's also been, you know, eye openening. I've met so many people through there and again then they talk about stuff. um Matt Fenel from Costic and Clack and Daddy Bear, he's so good about sharing music and hyping up other people. And um that's I think when an artist hypes up another artist or talks about another artist, there's not only that level of like, hey, these are my friends, but also, hey, this is actually really good. And you can appreciate it from a

27:16different point of view as a musician supporting another musician. you're like, "Oh, this sounds really good and this is this is good from a from our point of view, but also you'll like it too from the listening point of view versus from us." Like I feel like artists will go, "Oh, the production is really good on this." Or, "Oh, that's an interesting use of a particular high hat right here." Like, you're listening to it differently than other people are listening to it, but you understand how it's going to play out and push out to other people, even if it's not your style of music. Like I've had heavy duty

27:45industrial bands like go, "Oh, that's a really pretty song. It's a little twinkly like fairy god thing." And I'm like, I would not have thought that. Okay, no, that's actually really pretty. Would not have expected that recommendation, but it also shows like we all have layers, right? We all none of us came into the goth scene the same way. We all found it in different ways. Some people found it through their parents. Some people, like me growing up in the 80s, it was, you know, the cure and and that new wave end of things coming in. For some people, I think there was a whole era like Hot Topic I

28:16think played a huge role like I say there's like old school, new school, and middle school. Like middle school is that hot those Hot Topic mall years. You'd walk in, you'd flip through the CDs, you'd see the t-shirts on the walls. That's how you discovered new music because that was your funnel. This was even in small town America where you didn't have a Goth Knight or maybe you were the one of two kids in your high school that was like the weirdo kids, like the the people that didn't quite fit in. that was your place to discover things. And then when Hot Topic became more mainstream and had to turn on more

28:47lights and widen the aisles for the moms because that's how business works. Um, I think that became less of a source for people for music. It became more about the fashion than less about the music. But I think that was another way that we discovered things. And just now that the internet people are starting to chat again, talk again. They're sharing maybe not personal stuff, but I think they are being much better about talking about music and artists that they like and movies that they like and just media and entertainment that they like and sharing those photos. Um, I think that's another thing I I go back and forth on Instagram

29:20stories and and reals that are sort of temporary things because I feel like great, you captured a moment and it's gone. Those memories matter, right? those those those things that happened are are I think just capturing them and and having them with you. You will look back on it. You will there will be a point when you look back and you're like gh remember what was their name like you know just because it's someone you ran into but it it the memory is still there. So, um, but I do like when people share their photos or even if they're just ridiculous, silly like selfies at a show, the happiness

29:55and the joy and those moments that like that moves me to look into the artist going, "Oh, I just I had a great time at such and such show." Really? Well, it struck you. Who is this? Um, and I think just being open, too, right? just I try not to pigeon hole things into genres because music is is something that's so varied and it means different things to different people. So, um just if it moves you and it means something to you, then cool. It's good. You know, don't I feel like back in the days of CD collections, you could tell a lot about somebody by going

30:31just scrolling through, okay, what do you have? What are your albums? What's what's on your CD shelf? and you'd like look and see and there'd always be that one thing you're just like ooh the pesh mode and the crew shadows and like that's Hank Williams the third why and then that sparks that conversation and then you you get the emotional attachment to what it is oh is my dad's favorite or I saw the show and it's really I'm not a fan of country but I like this those stories and those that kind of passion makes me super happy. Yeah. No, I I I think that's what I one

31:01of the things I really love about when people share music with me as well and and they have their stories, you know, where they're like, "Oh, you should totally check this out and this is why and and the associations that go along with it." Like, I think that's really a big beautiful part of of of the joy. It is like little snapshots. Yeah. Right. And then for you guys, it must be so amazing to go back to towns and cities when you tour because I feel like you guys never rest. Like you are the Energizer Bunnies. like you're Alice Alice has gotten batteries like nobody

31:31else. Like you guys I feel like do like several tours a year, but you know people bring their friends. Like I've watched every show you've done in Charlotte get more and more traction. More and more people come out. They bring people and I hear them say, "Oh, you were right. This was a great show." And I love that because it's just like you've shared music. You've shared the experience and now a new fan is born. Which is always great. But it's that that kind of energy and the stories that you get to hear from the road are probably amazing because you know it's constant and and you get to revisit

32:02those areas and see the next iteration or it's like hey I was here last time and feeling you remember everybody like I am convinced that you see faces and you never forget them because you are always so genuine and personal with people and I think that's what also again it's that that connection that is important for musicians. and fans and people just being so important. So important right now. Oh, 100%. Absolutely. I mean, you know, I I I've shared with this I've shared about this before, but I grew up um in West Texas and I was really really bullied there. Um and so when I left um

32:41like something that was really important to me was um creating a community that felt safe. um you know because I was like I know what it feels like um on the opposite receiving end and I was like I just want you know people to feel like they can just come into our space and to feel like oh I can just be my whole rotten self and it's all it's all good it's okay. Yeah. um you know and it's it's to me it's like really beautiful um to see people when when they have the freedom to open up in that way you know and then and then they share their

33:13stories and I get to hear about them and it brings me so much joy because I I love people and I love connecting to people so I think that's really you know at the heart of what we all do um you know in these in these live music communities for sure and I think recognizing that is also like recognizing that that's that's like a core tenant of what you do why you what you do. You know, for some bands, it may just be selling the merch, sharing the music, like it's your output. But for bands, and some bands, I think, go on tour because they feel like they should,

33:42but it's not always a great super successful store because maybe they don't make those connections, you know, for whatever the reason. It could just be I mean, everybody has bad tours, everybody has cars breaking down, you know, on the road, you know, not every tour is going to be completely flawless. Um, but it's it's one of those, you know, if you can get past that and you can still deliver the performance and deliver that connection and then again, it's like that moment of escape, then when you're done, you can go back to whatever was going on before, but you can forget for that while when you're

34:12with people and hanging with people and connecting with people. That takes so much burden off of like there's there's like an emotional burden you can share a little bit just by relaxing and breathing and being with people. And it's I grew up bullied too because I was always the weird kid, awkward, all that didn't help. Like I was easy to make fun of. And I never really I don't think I really found myself until I was in my 20s and became a little bit more like self- assured and comfortable with who I was. Um, and I try to give people grace about that. Like if they're if people

34:46are younger and they're still trying to figure themselves out, please like you don't know until you know. That is like a core saying of mine. You don't know till you know. You don't know if you like anchovies. You don't know if you like pineapple on pizza until you try it. Maybe you want to, you know, maybe in the end wearing all black is just too hard for you. Maybe you're just you can't keep up with the laundry. Like, I don't know. Like, it may not be a thing that works for you. But you're going to try and test things. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that, you

35:14know, until you find out who you are. And some people never get that chance. But the people that take the chances to try and find who they are, I think for them it's I think they should enjoy the experience, not every it'll be a little painful at points, but getting to that level of comfort then makes you a comfort for other people and a safe harbor. And that I feel like I feel like if I can be that for somebody on the dance floor or just, you know, in a club or just saying hi to people, then that's sweet. That's easy. It's easy to just be

35:50a smile and and a a face. I I love that so much about you. Like, you know, um you know, I I also follow your social media and just how beautifully courageous you are to just be who you are, which is wonderful. It's so wonderful. And I think that's an invitation to other people to also be expressive and just to be like, "Oh, this this is who I am." You know, like, you know, I hope so. I hope so. I hope people, you know, sh and I like I love it when people share their art. You know, is everybody like a Rembrit or a Picasso coming out of the gate? No. But

36:31still, you created a thing. Like, you made a you made a carrot cake for the first time. That's awesome. Like, yay. You you tried something different that you didn't normally do. You you sketched, you drew, you sewed something for the first time. you, you know, maybe you just sat down and you went, "Hey, I put I mixed this song with this song or I I gardened today or, you know, you you created something and you you found happiness in that moment." I mean, I keep a jar of Play-Doh on my desk at all times because there's a point where I just need to just be tactile, but also

37:06like I just I don't know, like suddenly I'm just like, "You know what? I think I'm just going to make a little green mushroom. See what happens." Um, and I'll squish it and start all over again. But it's that, you know, it's that creativity that happens at that moment that's um that's, you know, I may not share it with anybody, but I have that moment of of happiness. Um, I love burlesque performers because they get out there and they do a whole bunch of just marvelous stuff on stage where it's revealing, but it's also art at the same time. Um, I love just artists who paint.

37:36I love people that craft. I love people that make jewelry, who make chocolates, that that find their passions in these ways and and share them. Um, successful or not, like I love making cookies. I'm an okay cheese m cheesecake maker. I can't garden. I can like I can sew. I can cook, but man, I look at a garden and I'm just like, I don't know. Plant it over there. I don't I don't know what's supposed to happen. Like maybe that's the good place for it. I don't know. I don't know how many herbs I've killed. Just this is the year. this is the year that I'm going to do nothing

38:08but I'll have the best oregano and the best basil and it's pesto for days and that dies within like a week and a half. So that is not my skill set but it's somebody's maybe capitalism because I can buy it from somebody else who does a better job of it. I I will say that I uh I can definitely relate. I um I am on Serga III which is what I name my aloe vera plants. I don't know how many people are able to kill their succulents, but I have a special talent. It's a brown thumb. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I do I I like you. I just I

38:48love um really seeing people um in their expressions, whatever it is, even the clothing, you know, what whatever people choose to wear or, you know, whatever the case is because I just feel like there's creativity like in everybody like every person is capable of creativity, you know. Yes, digital noir has been amazing to me because there are people at one point our scene was so small, everybody knew everybody, right? We didn't, you know, everybody was there. And we've gotten so big now that I don't know everybody. I know faces, but I don't know names. I don't know what you do for your life. I don't know

39:22what you do during the daytime hours. I don't know like, "Do you have brothers? Do you have sisters? Do you have parents? Do you are you from Charlotte? Did you move here?" All those questions. Have no idea. And the people they they come out to digital noir in ways that I I did not expect. Um, one night we had a bunch of goth clowns that showed up, planned completely independently, had nothing to do with it. And this is something that I would totally do something about, but we had a group of goth clowns that just showed up. One night it was vampires. One night it was

39:49goth cowboys. Totally unexpected. Gothic cowboys came in. And I sat there and I was like standing behind the booth kind doing. And the DJ was like, "What's wrong?" I'm like, "I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to do it. I'm not I'm gonna play Cotton Joe. I got to play Cotton Joe. Like I have to." and they were so fun and they got up on stage and danced and but again it's like seeing that happen makes me just so happy because it's like we can go so like I've given Charlotte has given people a place to be silly and to be expressive and to

40:22find friendships and to do things that you probably couldn't do any place else like I don't Can you go to a coffee shop dressed like that? Sure, why not? But it's a little bit you're not going to be as comfortable versus coming out and having people come up and go, "This is really cool." Because you get that acknowledgement and that that enthusiasm for it. Um yeah, the expression people with the way people dress, they come out, they're comfortable, they're happy. Um cosplay is another way for me like I'm a cosplayer as well and watching people come out and is their favorite characters and the detail that they put

40:53into things, the sewing, the crafting, the bead work, the oh my gosh, sewing with spandex. I can't tell you how many sleeves I've ripped out after I put them in and I realized I put them in inside out and backwards. Um, all those moments where it's just like I know exactly what you went through to get to that point. And it's amazing. Like half of the time I'm at a a comic book convention, I'm going oh my god, did you see that? Okay, that's really funny. And that makes me happy. I think one of my favorite costumes ever was there was this I thought it was a giant Monopoly piece

41:24just giant iron that was there and I'm like is there a Monopoly group running around like is there a shoe and like a dog going and then he turned around and he was Iron Man. He had Tony Stark's little thing in the middle and he was an actual iron and it was I died. I laughed my heart because I'm like that is nobody else would do that. That's that's entirely you. And that tells me who you are as a person on the inside is that you've got that humor to do this and to spend all this time making this happen to where for probably two hours because

41:56it's heavy and it's hot just to make somebody smile and laugh. That's amazing. That's bravo. Love that. Love that. That's awesome. I know I know you've um you've gone to like Dragon Con. Like are there other conventions in the area that you that you go to? Yeah. Um, so Dragon is um the biggest one we I do. Um, it's I've been doing Dragon Con for 20 plus years. I've DJed there. Um, and that's a completely like DJing at a convention is it's a completely different crowd. Like some nights you have glow sticks, some nights they're lightsabers. You turn around and big giant lightsabers emerge. Um, it's uh

42:36but then here in Charlotte um I think Dragon Con has a really strong nightife which is what makes it attractive to me. Um, but I do Heroes Con here in Charlotte. I'm usually there uh during um the day just hanging out and then all the supporting all the stuff they do at night. Um I've done New York Comic- Con. I've done um all the other con up and down the coast. I've done Convergence up in Minneapolis. Um I've never done San Diego Comic- Con. That actually scares me a little bit because it's so big. Um but I think it would be fun to do just

43:05to do it once. Um, but it's uh yeah, I just for me it's I could just sit on a chair and just watch people go by and just be like nice. I have no idea what that is, but it's really cool looking. It must be anime. I don't know what it Yeah. No, it's it's it is amazing to see just, you know, the level of like creativity and skill like some of the costumes. Wow. It's pretty amazing. Yeah, it And then I have to and then having done it for so long, I sit there and go, "How did you get that here?" Like, "How big is your car? How does it

43:41break down? Where do you keep it?" I had a friend that built a Sasquatch costume and in it he was probably seven feet tall and it was a massive build. Had to bring it down in a truck and then brought it back home. And I'm like, "Where are you keeping this? Like, where does your wife like where does this live?" He goes, "We actually have to hang it from the ceiling in the corner of the garage because it just takes up so much space. I mean, the shoulders were like out to here." Um, so yeah, things have to be able to break down. Like for me, I'm just like, "It's got to

44:12fit in the back of a Kia Soul. If it doesn't fit in the back of a Kia Soul, it's not getting down to Dragon Con." Um, I was in I was in a giant demon outfit one time that had these big giant horns, like legend Tim Curry horns coming out of it, corset kind of thing. And I got to my husband's car and we looked at it and we looked at me. We had to put the seat all the way back and put the seat down behind so that the horns could go all the way back like that. And I looked at my husband because I could

44:42barely breathe. Watch us move. Put the seat belts on me and go, "Do not get pulled over. We cannot explain this easily. Just get where we're going because this is not going to be easy to explain. Don't get pulled." And then getting out later was Yeah, that was You look a lot less evil when you have to crab walk through something. I am evil imposing. Not not as not as not as encouraging. Oh my gosh. Um Oh, so uh uh I'm going back a little bit. Parish Knight says, "Uh pineapple on pizza. You know, even our space is only so And uh Chris Gurton says, "Goth. It's

45:26dark, but not that dark." There's a great Did you ever see that Heineken commercial? There was a great Heineken commercial. He hinekin dark. It's probably 12, 15 years old now. But you have basically the setup. I think it was a British commercial setup and you have all these people standing in line outside of a golf club and they're all dark and spiky and big giant bouncers and two guys are standing in the line behind them and like dressed very normal and they kind of look at each other and like not so much. And then you go they pop to the interior of the club and wake

45:56me up before you go. It's all these gods dancing. I'm like that is the god scene. You think it's funny, but no, that is how we are. Like we are we can be spooky and look really intimidating, but we got big squishy sinners. This is true. This is very true. Yes, the squish is true. Yes. Um uh Joel Turnell, I'm sorry if I'm I am mispronouncing that. Um Gothic cowboy. Now that's my kind of speed. Um you say you're from Charlotte. Have you been down to Morehead City? I have not been to Morhead City. Um, I think I may have driven through one time on the way somewhere else. Um, but I

46:34have not. I going to say I don't know if there's a scene there. That's that's what's fun, right? It's like are there little pockets happening? Wilmington or not Wilmington, Fateville, North Carolina. There were some people there about a year ago, some tattoo artists. They're like, we need a night. So, they just created their own night. And they contacted we need a DJ. And someone said, I'll come DJ. And they did their own night. just to do it because they didn't have one. So, they found people and they made it happen. Like, it doesn't always have to be a DJ that starts it. Sometimes it's the people

47:08that are like, "We want to do a night. How do we do this? I don't know. We'll figure it out." And they did. And I got to meet them for the first time a couple months ago. They came into Charlotte for one of our nights. And I was like, "I love you guys." Because you said, "We're going to do it." And you didn't you didn't let it stop you like that there wasn't something else going on. You didn't lament that there was something nothing going on. You said, "How do we make it happen?" And you became the activating force to make that happen. That's amazing. That's how scenes start.

47:36That's how you find people. You don't just like there's nothing to do. You could make it something to do. You could try. Um it may not always work, but you don't know until you know. You know, you may find a whole community that is there that they just didn't have a way to connect with each other. They didn't know how to find each other. give them that focal point and then that becomes that center and then you'll find people. So I I I haven't been to their scene but I just love them because I'm yay that's how these things happen. Well, you were mentioning that um about

48:12um when we were talking earlier about um touring as a DJ. Um do you have some favorite places that you've that you've gone to? Wow. See, I'm I'm terrible. I love every place that I've gone to because I I always find my favorite thing to do is to play what I call doppelganger. You go to a scene and you're just like, "Oh, there goes our Mary. Oh, there goes our John." Like, you find the people that kind of are parallels in your scene, like their energy or their just the way they're dressed or the way they act or all laugh. There's something about them that reminds you of something else. Um,

48:43and I've never I've always been welcome everywhere I've gone. So, that's why it's always like every place is my favorite place because everybody is super nice. Um, I think the most interesting thing for me about touring, it's not so much like the places, but it's the musical differences and the dance styles that are different. So, that's also like fascinating to me as well. Like Charlotte can have like a band releases an album. Um, for me, my best example is Woolsh. Once in a lifetime was a Charlotte staple when that first came out. Like you've heard it every night. It's still we'll pack a floor. Like every scene, every city has

49:17those core songs. I play it somewhere else in a different, you know, in Asheville or not even that far from Charlotte and people like wow, nobody ever plays this, like really feel like that's all we do. So even if it's something you feel like everybody knows and it's old and tired, you're like it's fresh for somebody else, it's a new song for somebody else. So watching that happen is really neat. And then also every city has a different starting point. So where they came out of I think influences dance styles. So Atlanta, I like to call it sort of the invisible rave, the invisible glow stick. There's

49:48a lot of flow and there's a lot of dancing and stuff. And then DC for a while was invisible runways, right? Like the dance very industrial kung fu style in places. Um California, uh I've not been to their scenes, but a friend did and said it was very much um thumbs pointed in. Look at me right here. Or have you seen my new coat? And swirling new coat around. Um, some scenes are very like the, you know, the invisible cobweb dance, you know, happens in places. Um, the pick up a penny dance and you you find like people move the way they want to move, but you

50:25see it in different scenes. Like I if I if I go someplace now, I almost feel like I can go you grew up in Tampa or Jeff, you came out of New Like I can kind of tell like, oh, wait, no, no, no. I I I'm going to guess and I might I'm 75% correct that I think I'm going to know what it is. Um and but that's I mean that's fun too, right? Because it's it's again it's like pizza. Chicago pizza style pizza, Detroit style pizza, thin crust, you know, thick crust. It's pizza, but it's all a different kind of pizza. And I will even accept the

51:00pineapple on the pizza because that is somebody that is somebody you like pineapple on pizza, but that'll be you know somebody's I'm not gonna harsh your melo because you like anchovies on your pizza. Great. I don't but I love that you do. Let's have pizza together. We're just going to do habsies. I love that things are pizza themed today because Yes. I'm getting hungry. I think that's where I'm going after this. Yeah. No, I I think that's it's and it's so I mean especially as a DJ I imagine you get the perspective of of like you know especially seeing how crowds move. Um you know cuz because the dance I love

51:41watching people dance. It's something that brings so much joy to my heart. I love seeing people dancing. Um yeah I love bringing DJs to Charlotte because we have a group that our people start dancing like as soon as the floors open. other places it takes a few drinks like they're not going to start dancing or getting out there till they've had a couple of drinks, they've socialized and then they slowly go to the dance floor. Our dance floor usually starts like at nine o'clock as soon as the dance floor is open first song and then I come and check on DJ like 20 minutes later my

52:09guest and they're just like what is what happened? I'm like they dance here. I can't I don't know how to tell you otherwise. Like they come to dance and they are ready to dance and again it totally makes me happy. I and I love that nobody cares how they dance. Like there's no one way to dance, right? If you're having fun and you like the music and you're flowing with it and it's working for you. Yes. Like it it shouldn't look like choreography, right? It shouldn't all be like if we all did line dances, which I have seen. Like there was a point I was in Phil Philly

52:42for um Dracula's Bald and at Shampoo and I played a song and I looked down and all of a sudden there was like line dancing going on to a song and I was like what why what's going on down there and they're like now sometimes they do that. I'm like okay but for a brief period of time gothic line dancing was a thing didn't you know but again they had fun. I grew up in the Caribbean and I used to DJ down there and it was very pop in the 90s and I was doing I was playing Stone Temple Pilots and I looked out and there were some tourists there

53:14on vacation in the Caribbean and they were like we're going to have a good time regardless and I can tell you you can do the electric slide to Stone Temple Pilots and it works and they had a great time. Find what moves you and don't feel self-conscious about it. Even if you just want to dance in the background or just stand in the background, like even if nobody's dancing, if I see somebody moving a little bit and feeling that beat, that's I mean it elevates the heart rate. There's so many sciency things around music, but which is also fascinating to me. But it brings up your heart rate. It

53:44brings up energy. Rhythms start to match in some way and then they cycle around each other. And it's again, it's watching people dance, right? It's like they move around each other. I remember when my mom came out to one of my events one time and she was like, "Do people not dance with each other anymore?" I'm like, "No, mom. Nobody really dances with anybody else. They dance around each other. They kind of they kind of just flow in places that work." And we all kind of for the most part have like a six sense that somebody is going to do a big swoop until you kind of die. And

54:15then you give this, you know, this person dances big, so give them some space. So this person's more of a of a charge ahead kind of person. Okay, give them some space. And that that's it's it's a weird fluidity that happens on the floor that it's it's it's it's again it's expression. It's creativity that it's coming like physical creativity. I love that. I love everything. I there very little there's very little I don't like like maybe maybe like stupid people. I might be allergic to that and penicellin. Those might be the only two things I'm allergic to. But everything else, I'm just happy to see people like I love

54:54learning things. I love learning people. I love watching things happen and in neat ways. And the gods scene does that, right? The gods scene EDM. The EDM scenes has its own fluid, its own rhythm, its own style, its own creativity. Mainstream bars a little bit different there too. But I feel like the goth scene is such a fostering place for creativity and self-expression. And gosh, I hope that never goes away. I hope if anybody takes that, even if you come to the scene and then you're like, I was a goth. I'm not anymore. I'm like, that's cool. But you probably took some of that with you. There's probably some

55:30core part of you that there's a teeny little tiny black heart inside of you somewhere that still like has a moment when you smell a clove cigarette and you're like, "Oh yeah, those are the So, um, Dilemma was saying, um, the conga line at the milestone. Best conga line I've seen. Yeah, that's awesome. Yes, silly stuff Oh, and Pete was asking if uh you could show your mug. It is. And it's got this really neat little thumb thumb skull right there. Wow. Which is neat. Um this is from Asavdo Pottery. Um and uh they we have a a traveling show, the Curiosities and Oddities um expo uh travels around the

56:23southeast and I think Arizona as well. And he's a potter there. And he I love these things. It's big. It's like it holds like two very large things. Right now it's just holding water. But um I think I could put like 3/4 of a bottle of wine in here if I needed to. But good hand feel, good size. But yes, we have several of these and they're they're all fabulous. Oh, it's so cool. Yeah, I I I think it's one of those things where you know in in we've we've played like different kinds of shows like you know in different and and a lot of mixed genre shows. Um, but I I've

56:59noticed, you know, in in so many of the in the, you know, goth community that it's like you you find that people really embrace um just all all the different varieties and all the different, you know, all the differences and stuff which I absolutely love. And for you guys, what I love what what I love about Alice and this is something I talk about when I talk about you guys because I do talk about you guys um in front of you and behind your back. Um it's uh that you are I mean you're electronic you're rock you the big drum like that drums right like live drums

57:31that's a very primal thing and that hits people differently electronic music does it does achieves some of the same things in different ways you know because it's it I don't know I feel like it feel like a a natural live drum hits you more in your core and lower down and the energy of an electronic drum hits you more up here in your heart like across your your chest. And I think that it's still that pulse. It's still a beat, but it just hits a little bit differently. And I think Alice is neat because you you have that organic feel, that interaction with the audience anyway. But that organic

58:06drum harsh that I think pulls a lot of things together for people in ways they don't expect. I think that's why you are so good cross genre because it's going to be familiar to people in one way or another. Like they're going to connect just through that. You know, what is it? It's the my spine is the baseline. Is that the Shriek Back song? And it's a Yeah, I think it's a switch, too. It's like, you know, your your baseline is the spine. You're like that drum beat is what keeps everything level and straight and make makes you breathe. Oh, I really appreciate that. I I do

58:41refer to Steve as our backbone because Steve just really brings just this beautiful like little pulse and heartbeat and, you know, Yeah. Um, and I literally feel it in my feet. So, I actually learned to DJ barefoot. So, I actually used to the booth I learned to DJ in was in the Caribbean and it was basically like a a six inch riser, but I could feel the I never really learned to mix, you know, with headphones or like having like a speakers next to me. I have to feel the bass through my feet. I've got to feel that. And that's how I that's how I count the floor and push

59:15play, right? It's right there and it's it pulses up. And that's why I think silent disos are weird to me because I'm like, how do you feel that? How do you how do you get that that energy? I'm glad other people can do it. I don't think I could just because I'd be like, I don't know. I'm not getting anything. There's no like that I've got going on. So, it's uh but yeah, feeling it from your feet. I totally get that. Totally. I think that's amazing that that you um you know that you grew up in the Caribbean and that you that that's kind is that where you started um DJing or So

59:49I actually I started DJing first in college. I did radio college college radio um during the 90s. Uh so late ' 89 through 93. Um so right at that like grunge was just starting to take off. MTV 120 minutes like that whole era for me is like where you know I grew up in the 80s then sharing music came from that end which was very alive and vibrant and different and and could go anywhere. Um moved back home uh uh was went to college in Indiana moved back home and then started doing college like doing a radio gig here or there for a couple of like just once a week and then

1:00:27somebody was going on vacation at one of the clubs and said hey can you cover for me? I'm like I've never DJed a club. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. You just play music. Okay, I can do that. I have a lot of I have a lot of cassettes and CDs. I can do that. Um, and then it just kind of crept up from there. Like, I have no musical talent. I'll be completely honest. I cannot sing. I auditioned one time for a musical. They cast me as the mute. This is a true story. I cannot sing. I cannot play an instrument, but I can count to

1:00:55four. I can I can I can read an audience. I can feel how things are flowing and and ebbing um over and that comes with time, right? Um but I think it's a uh I think I I when people are just like, "Oh, you have to be super musical to learn to DJ." Nope. Do you love music? Some people can absolutely do like one song after another and just slam right into them. Some people have to have like long mixes and long remixes on things. I am never going to be the wiki wiki woo kind of DJ. I just want to have one song go into another song. The

1:01:29energy, the sound, the volume, bring it up, bring it down, rotate stuff. That will always be me and that's my style. I have like Digital Nora has a constant open 8 to9 slot that if anybody wants to try and DJ because they've done it at home and they want to try it, please come. Like you don't you don't know until you know. Like playing at home, playing on Twitch, it's different than being in front of an audience, right? You practice at home, you do things at home. being on stage, having sound hit you in different ways, having a dance floor, having lights, other like distractions. Come try it. Like, it's

1:02:04happy to teach people how to do it. It's And then you take it where it needs to go. Like, you don't know how to use a sewing machine until somebody teaches you. You don't know how to use like a mixer, like a like a to make cookies. You don't know how to drive a car until somebody shows you. Just learning that and then you figure out where you want to go from there. Maybe you never do anything with it. Maybe it becomes a whole new thing. I didn't think it was going to be something for me, but here we are 35 years later and I have a

1:02:28really hard time retiring because I like it so much. I'm like, "No, I'm done. I'm not I'm not DJing anymore." What? That sounds like fun. Okay. I mean, can you imagine for you? Can you imagine a point when you don't play music? Like I don't I think Yeah. Like finally I was just I gave in. I was like, "Okay, I guess I'm I'm just going to do this forever because I can't not do it." Yeah. I mean, anytime I've I've tried to veer off because I wanted to do to be a responsible adult um it always pulls me back in and it reminds me of like how

1:03:04vital it is um for for who I am. Yes. And I sometimes it's good to take a break, just to take a mental break and just to to get some distance because sometimes you need some distance. But yeah, some you just sometimes there's just certain things, you know, are just I feel like gamers are the same way, right? It's like I'm not doing any more campaigns. No more Dungeons and Dragons for me. Oh, they just released a new Okay. Suck back in again. Um it's it's that's again it's finding your identity. It's finding who you are and that that passion, you know, whether it's you

1:03:38don't have to be super active with your passion. like you don't have to wear it on your sleeve, but it's it's in you and it's part of you and accepting it and allowing it to grow. That's awesome. I love watching that. Yeah, absolutely. Um Oh, uh so Chris, um Chris, uh DJ Wookie Manosaridus, I'm so sorry if I am saying that incorrectly. Um uh says that uh they've been following DJ Spider since I was DJing at Manray many, many years ago. That's fine. I'm not old. It's fine. I I will say though, I will say fog juice is a preservative and most goths are going

1:04:17to look fabulous forever because we hang out in the dark. We're preserving ourselves with all the fog juice. Oh my gosh. But that's I mean I think that's awesome. I'm I'm seeing people in the chat that are are are um you know sharing that they've followed you um that they they they know you um and I you know and they're sharing like different anecdotes of like what you've shared with them or what you've brought to them and I think that's really beautiful. I um that makes me happy because you know I I love again I'm like you. I love people. I love seeing stuff happen and I've I know people have met

1:05:00at my nights. I know they've, you know, ended up having families and kids and everything because of a night they brought, like I said, they bring their kids out to my nights now. Um, and it's it's a little all inspiring to think that, wow, you know, you were here and then you disappeared for about 18 years and now you're coming back out to the clubs, but you're bringing your kids now, too, which is great because, you know, it's generational. It's it's bringing people back into the fold and you feel comfortable letting your kids come to a goth night, you know, because you were there and you understand it's

1:05:27safe and you want to share with them what you loved in your 20s. Um, and it's a little bit weird when it happens for me because I'm just like, "Wow, I didn't think you could raise a house plant. You raised a whole human, several of them. How how did that happen?" Um, people surprise you. Uh, but it's like seeing these new humans, these new people that embrace the scene, love the scene. Um, Dilemma in the chat. I don't have the chat up, but her dad is a core DJ here in Charlotte. Um, DJ Christian, and now his daughter is a DJ in Charlotte. And I

1:06:04love that. Again, passing on that love of music and skill sets and and thank God because at some point I'm going to want a reasonable bedtime and get some sleep. So please, generation, please learn to DJ. I'm doing it. So some of us can be the old farts that come out and sit on the end of the bar and go, "All right, back in my day." And then, you know, go home after that. Well, for somebody that wants to start DJing, um, like h how how would they start doing that? So, I think I think because we're in an era of modern technology, it's a lot easier than it

1:06:42used to be. Um, you can you can go on Facebook Marketplace and find mixers for sale for like a couple hundred bucks. Mostly because somebody did it for a while, changed their minds, they weren't going to do it anymore. But there's a lot of software out there. Um, there's something called I believe there's still something called MiXX. Um, that's open share, open source software. Um, they're virtual DJ Sorado. Um, just to do it at home, just to do it on your laptop. Um, you can get cheap little controllers that just allow you to just push play on things um for like 80 bucks on Amazon. If you want to like

1:07:16actually change BPMs, you probably want something a little bit more sophisticated, but just about every like Sam Ash or um record store, music store has some sort of gear in there. Um, and then it's, you know, make friends with a DJ and ask like it's really, you know, not everybody's a great teacher. Some people are better listeners than they are teachers. Um, I've never really taught anybody to DJ. I might be a terrible teacher. I don't know. But I can at least say, "Hey, if you push this and do this, this will happen." Like, if you move this thingy up and down, it's going to make this happen. And then really,

1:07:50really slow. Like, so to get that and then understanding how that happens. And then I mean, I took a DJ class way back in the day. Um, and learned about crafting a night, like how do you make a night work? Like, how do you build a set? How do you bring it down? practical things like people don't think about, man, I'm just going to pat that dance floor. No, don't do that because if the bar doesn't make money, you don't make money. Like, rotate the floor. And also, like if everybody's dancing and they're not drinking, they will not have you back. So, don't be a don't be afraid of

1:08:23a dead floor because that just means that they've gone to the bar to get something to drink. That's why when I play something stupid and somebody rolls their eyes and leaves the dance floor, I'm like, "Cool. You're either going to go pee or you're gonna go buy a drink. Either one of those is good." Um, but also I think people know me well enough to know that in four and a half minutes I will play something they do like. You just have to get through this this one little pause and then do the next thing. Um, but yeah, just it's just asking a DJ like and then just taking the time to

1:08:48kind of learn to do it. Um, I've done vinyl. I'm not great at it. Um, I could probably figure it out again if I needed to, but it's been so long that I've been digital that that's where I am. But I used to do CDs back in the day. I was an early adopter of CDs and then when I was at actually Dragon Fun and I was passing another fellow DJ who was going up to do a house party and I was going downstairs to do one of the main rooms and I'm lugging this entire luggage rack with gear and CD books like the old CD books,

1:09:15the CD logic case logic books that were like the big multiple things and I had an index as to where everything was and I'm dragging all this stuff down with me and he had a backpack and a cooler and he went and he left. He went upstairs and I was like, "All right, I guess I'm finally going to have to do this DJ thing, which made my husband very happy because he did not have to lug cargo like cargo crates of CD wallets uh everywhere we went. Bless his heart. I was going to make him a t-shirt that said I'm with the DJ. I'm not carrying this stuff for

1:09:52Well, I think that's awesome. I've never I've never DJed myself, so I was I was personally curious. I was like I just I wonder how like when starts because I I think there is it's like such a an incredible talent and art to like shifting the energy of the room like you were saying and and doing the eb and flow and you just do that so beautifully. So Oh, thank you. Like re reading an audience is something that comes with time. Just like you've seen it like you know you know when you I'm assuming that when you build your set list for a night you figure out you're

1:10:23going to start slow. You're going to put the bangers here and you're going to like end with something here and you know that this song is going to play well. So you place it here in the set list. There's that same sort of craft of going up and down. It's the same thing with floor. I new DJs tend to have all my set list laid out great like start with where you're comfortable. I rarely have a set list. I bring music that I'd like to play. I never get a chance to play everything I want to play. I'm very lucky to have access to that fans will

1:10:48send me songs and and let me know when new music is out and I like everything. So, I'm grabbing everything. Oh, this is good. This is good. This is good. And then I never get a chance to play it all because there's only so much time in an evening. But then I'm very like trying to figure out like, okay, this is the moment when this is going to work or the energyy's gotten a little bit big. I need to slow it down a little bit so people can breathe. Um, there's a it's a stupid thing, but if you play a slow song, if you radically change the

1:11:14energy in a room and you go like boom boom boom and you go into like swoopy goth or whatever, you radically change like the flow you're doing, if you do it at the top or bottom of the hour, people will look at their watches and they're like, it's 1:30, we should go. But if you do it at 1:40, they'll look at their watch and like, oh, we'll just stay till 2. So like knowing like little weird tricks like that like I'm letting the cat out of the bag here. That's how you drive bar seats. But no, it's also it's but it's also like it encourages like

1:11:43people, you know, they have their structures and when you you can play into the structures or you can like change the structure for them. But it does, you know, kind of keep the room moving in certain ways. Rotating. Okay, I need to do more of a gothy set for my like my swoopy goths. Um more driving industrial. I've got some people that are standing in the corner. They're new here. They have no idea what's going on. I'm going to play something that's a little bit more mainstream that they do recognize that, you know, may not be like the B side of the W wskut like

1:12:11German single that was released to 200 copies. Like it's not going to be that deep cut. It's going to be like the cure or it's going to be dep mode that they're like, "Oh, I know this one." And slowly bring them in that way. Like there's different again different ways you come into the scene. And then you mean sometimes I mean it's my night. What am I going to do? Fire me? Like I'll play Kendrick Lamar if I feel like it could happen. I'm like look around. I'm just like, "Yeah, we need some salt and pepper right now." Yeah, that'll be fun. Let's do that. So, it's, you know,

1:12:37because it's that's that's how my night runs. Other nights are have their own vibes and their own, which is great, right? Like, if every night was the same, how boring would that be? Like, I want to go hear other music. I want to hear it. Even if it's the same songs in a different order, that's still fine, too. Like, it's still a different vibe. It's still It's like rearranging the words in a sentence. You can change like, "Are you going to do this or you are going to do this?" Just changing two words changes the intent of a sentence. Just changing the structure, moving two

1:13:04songs around can change the intent of the energy. So, it's sort of the same thing. Oh, yeah. I think a lot about these things. Way too much about these Well, I you know, I I'm sure like it's one of those things which is why like you know, you you do learn I'm sure from every set that you do where you're like, "Oh, this was an interesting moment." And you know, and that's probably how you've discovered like, oh, at 140 if I'm doing this then, yeah. Yeah. No, totally. Um, there's we have a a local band here in Charlotte, uh, Coffin Dragger, and, uh, he started coming out

1:13:42to Digital Noir, and then he dropped his first, and I didn't really know him, but I saw I followed him on Instagram, saw that he dropped a single, and I like I went and listened to I was like, "Oh, cool. I like this." So, I played it in the club and he came up and he was he's like, "This is my song." I'm like, "Awesome. This is you. Now I can connect a person to like the song." And I think when we talked later, he goes, "Actually, hearing it in a club made me rethink how some of it should come together like like watching people dance

1:14:07to it." And I think he did some he thought to himself later like how that influenced how he structured songs when he saw like that happen. And I think that's an interesting like artist perspective too. Like I'm sure there's songs you've tested live and then you've decided like no maybe this wasn't isn't one we should put on the set list because it it doesn't again that flow like the energy that you're trying to pull into things. It may be a fantastic song. It may be somebody's totally favorite song on an album but you know how is the story being told and sometimes you don't get to tell every

1:14:40chapter of it. Yeah, it's true. And and we do actually I like I I will feel the room and if there's certain songs that we were planning on sometimes we're like oh maybe we should do this song instead. Like it it really will change dynamically depending on like how how everyone is feeling. You know sometimes it feels like people need something that's a little more low energy or something that's a little more uptempo. It really just depends. So um yeah. Yeah. I did a show in the Maryland DC area years ago and I had been booked for it because I was doing a couple of

1:15:18things up that way and I showed up that night. I really didn't know the promoter that well and I showed up ready to do a dance night and they had unfortunately just lost somebody in their scene and so it was more of a wake that evening and that was well now I've got to readjust everything that I thought I was going to play and I will take cues from them because they might want to hear certain songs because it reminds them of certain people. Um we did that here in Charlotte. We had uh we lost a key member of our community a few years ago

1:15:47and everybody had different songs associated with that person. So, you know, we did a memorial for them and the music was just all over the map. But that was who Ken was. Ken was all over the map. He was a traveler of tribes and it it gave people release and it gave people solace at the same time, but you couldn't predict what was going to happen. You know, you just you kind of you watch that flow and you feel that energy. But also like as a DJ, you have power. So, if I I've done mainstream nights and I've stood there and I've guys be a little bit uh not say I don't

1:16:20want to say aggressive, but kind of invading personal space for women. And I can see that because as a DJ, you have a good eyesight line on the floor. So, I've changed the music. Like, if I felt like things were getting a little bit too hype or a little too energy or or growly, pull back, man. Change it radically. play mambo number five, you know, because that's stupid and funny and it breaks the mood and it it changes the energy and sometimes it's just like, yeah, I don't like what's going on over there. And and and I think and I hope everybody in Charlotte knows that I'm a

1:16:54safe space. Like if you are not feeling comfortable, come talk to me. Like I have a giant girl. I am over six feet tall. Will shut stuff down. I have no problem turning off the music entirely to call somebody out if they are doing something wrong and dumb. I choose not to do that. I try to make things very behind the scenes and like can we watch him a little bit? But like I am very protective of our scene. We are very lucky to have a hugely diverse group of people here in Charlotte from all walks of life, from all sides of every flag, of every, you know, sexuality and

1:17:30choices. And I am honored when they let me know that they're transitioning and they're they're changing and this is their first time out doing this and I'm new to the area. And any of those choices that people make, I support because you're finding again, you're finding you, you're finding your space. But for me, like when somebody comes to like, "Oh, are they dating anybody?" I'm like, "I have no idea." Like I'm not here to judge people's dating lives. I don't know what kind of pajamas they sleep in. Like I that's that is as minimal to me as it is about the person and the human that's in front of me.

1:18:02Like partnerships matter, but like I'm not here to hook anybody up with anybody else. But I'm also like they're people and I just want them to be comfortable and feel safe and loved and accepted. And I love everybody that comes out to our nights because they're supporting the scene which is amazing. They support multiple sides of the scene and they are trying to be as true and authentic to themselves and that's not something they can do everywhere. So if we can give them that space and that grace, oh please, yes, please let people breathe. And there's so much there's so much going on in the world right now that

1:18:37people need that space to just relax and be in a in be in a big old comforter of music on the couch bundled up. Cats and dogs piled up on top of you. You know, cozy stuff. I feel like we're we're we're cozy but with black leather and Okay, I have an idea. Okay. I think I think next time we convene we should do a pajama party. I'm just saying. I think yes. I think I've actually wanted to do like a onesie party. Like I love themes. I love a theme. I have my panda onesie. I'm ready. Perfect. I have I have a I have a Super Grover outfit and I have

1:19:20because Super Grover was one of my first superheroes, which explains a lot about me. Um Wonder Woman and Super Grover right there. Um, and then also I have a a bear onesie because then I can be bare naked. Um, and I have I have a Godzilla onesie floating around somewhere too. But um, yeah, I think I think you should throw a um, your next on the road should be on the road in a onesie. Yes. Yes. I am very very excited about this this uh, future this plan. Actually, you should that I think on one of your upcoming tours, you should just encourage people to come out

1:19:55in onesies and then just take pictures of like onesies and let's see how many animals we can collect. It'll be like that spiral with like you pull the string and the farmer like the cow goes moo and it goes all the way around and you can just collect all these people. They'll be like little like like um Pokemon cards like little onesie cards and you got to catch them all. I love it. Yeah. No, I I you know, going back to what you were saying about um you know, just you know, I think that we all do need um spaces to connect and I I've uh

1:20:32uh uh there was a beautiful comment earlier in the chat that was talking about how music is how you are able to be yourself. Um Joel um you were mentioning that um and I I definitely feel the same like music is my way of being in the world and I I'm you know I think a lot of us can relate to that. It's like that's that's we all share a love of music. Um you know and I think that's something that we can all just connect connect on and you know and enjoy together. Yeah. And it doesn't even like the music itself, the type and

1:21:04the style and the genre. Like we we fall under this umbrella of the goth scene, but I can tell you at the end of the night when I drive home after packing up my car after a gig, I am all about some yacht rock and some easy listening and I'm singing along to Paul Simon and Fleetwood Mac on the way home because I can vibe and mellow out and take me away sailing kind of stuff. Um, windows down, breezing my hair, 3:00 a.m. kind of thing. But, you know, and it's also like situation like there's music that hypes you up. There's music that calms you

1:21:30down. You know, if you're a tribal beats kind of person and that's where you're at, that's great. I think ASMR is an interesting area just because again it's tonal and it's very it it hits certain vibes for people. Some people like bass, some people like treble. Everybody hears things differently, right? Like you're where you're like where things connect with you. Um it's uh it's fascinating. I love it. Again, it's people. I love Yeah, absolutely. Um it's it's interesting because you know um when we're when we're mixing our albums, each one of us will hear different frequencies. Um Oh wow. So it's like we experience firsthand as a band because I

1:22:10I tend to hear more like upper mid frequencies. Um you know Gordon for instance will of course hear bass. He's all about the bass. So um yes. But yeah. Yeah. No, it's just it is it is I think really just fascinating to see how music will hit people in different ways and different kinds of music like that. So, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. It's again, but that's you accept you can accept people listening to different kinds of music. You can accept them for being different kinds of people. And I feel like it's you you don't like the pesh mode, you can't be a goth. If you don't like the

1:22:46cure of the Smith, you can't be a goth. No. Like I'm also not like don't if you don't want to dress in black, don't dress in black. If you want to wear pink, wear pink. If you want to wear your panda onesie, wear the panda onesie. It's fine. Like are you enjoying the night? Sweet. That's all I want. I just want people to have a good time. And I I I hope that they do. I feel like when people leave at the end of the night, I've closed I'd say 75 to 80% of my nights I have closed with the Rainbow Connection. Kermit the Frog, the Rainbow

1:23:15Connection, because there's no other song that speaks to me more solidly than that. And I have a friend that calls it kind of the frog song. Okay, we're going to play the frog song. Um, but it's I mean, it's Kermit and you can't leave unhappy when you've heard Kermit. Like, you can't it's a it's just a great way. I got very lucky to play at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta an event down there and I got to play the Rainbow Connection while Brian Henson was in the room and within sight of like an actual original Kermit the Frog puppet and I was like mic drop. I don't have to do

1:23:48anything else anymore. I have I've lived this is my best moment right now like this is it. Um but that's that's for me is like we'll get there. We just have to we have to take time to recognize that that rainbow is different for everybody and it's it's all part of the same thing. Yeah. Well, I was I was wondering um uh you mentioned your playlists. Um for for those who are new to you, like how do they find your playlists? So, all of my social media is pretty much um that DJ Spider that DJ Spider, not this one, the other one. Oh, that one. Yeah. Um, but,

1:24:28uh, I do post on Mixcloud. Um, so I would record most of my sets um, unless there's been like a technical error, but I post my sets over on Mixcloud, my live recordings. So, you will hear all the mistakes and everything as well because it's never going to be super polished. Um, on my Facebook page, um, that DJ Spider uh, DJ Spiderm I think is what it originally started as on Facebook, but um, I'll post my playlist there and I try to as much as possible link to people's Facebook profiles if they're there. So, if you liked a band or you knew it was a song you heard between

1:24:55this one and this one, you at least can connect to the bands. Um, I have a Spotify playlist that I keep updated. Um, I started that last year because I can't play everything that I like. So, as I find things that I like, I just add it to that. Um, so if you're looking for new music, um, I'm on uh Spotify as well. Um, and then I'm on Instagram, I'm on blue sky, Facebook. I'm still on, Twitter, whatever we're calling it these days, but only because you can't see anything if you're not on there. So, I've just maintained I don't post there, but I just like to know what's going on

1:25:28in the world. Um, I like my blood pressure up for a minute and then leave. Um, and then, uh, Tik Tok, but not so much because weirdly I I'm not good at video, like talking to myself. Like Twitch was weird for me because like I'm talking and I'm doing stuff and trying to type at the same time like chat with people, spell check, a lot of stuff going on at the same time. Um, but it was weird to like just chat which is weird because I guess and I think it's because like radio was easy because there was no visual like radio just a mic. There's not a face to go with it. I

1:26:01don't have to I mean I could be in my underwear and like with a like a stocking mask on and it wouldn't matter. Um, but just talking, just doing video blogs and stuff like that. Not good at it, which I feel like I should be, but I'm not. I have mad envy for the people that are good at that because I just like when you post all your tour stuff and you're just chatting and and all your tour diary stuff. I'm like, I can't I just I never think about it and I feel weird going, "Hi, this is me. I'm doing this thing. You may not care, but okay,

1:26:36I'm not engaging. I'm just gonna stop. And then that's the end of it. Um I wish I was better at it, but again, it's again, not my passion, not my big thing. One day I will get better at it. This is not that day. I feel like you're so easy to talk to. I mean, I you know, just from day one, like, you know, from the get-go, you're you're just so welcoming and so um like well, you use the word yourself personable. Um, and I I just feel like it's just so easy to talk to you. Um, for me it helps like basically uh it's

1:27:12usually Scott that's our videographer. So, it helps to have a buddy. It really helps to have a buddy. Um, you know, so um but you know it it's interesting because when we in 2020 um we turned all of our tours into virtual ones and we did um you know just a series of live streams um on across platforms. Um, and it was interesting because at first, you know, you're just used to playing in a venue and, you know, not know connecting with people like typing and performing at the same time. So, I totally understand how that's definitely, it's a very, very different vibe. For sure. It

1:27:50is. But for me, it was actually more fun to watch people talk with each other and make those con. I mean, during the pandemic was watching people reconnect with each other or they didn't have it like you'd forgot people. you forget that people and also like there's there are people that don't come out for different reasons. Like it's not that they don't want to support the night, but maybe the lights are a problem. Maybe it's too much for you know sensory overload for some people to to deal with a lot of flashing lights or a lot of loud music or you know people just may I

1:28:18mean I think the pandemic changed a lot of comfort levels for people around being in large crowds so they may not support anymore. So I think Twitch absolutely and the people that the DJs that still stream on Twitch are still doing a service, right? Because you are still connecting with people that don't have the opportunity to go to a club for whatever the reason. Um and also people that are not old enough to go to a club, right? They still love the music. They're discovering the music. They're discovering themselves and they're making connections. Um so they're a little bit more prepared when they go to

1:28:44the club and they make the cool requests. Um but it's a it's it's a completely it is a different world to do it that way. And I was I was happy to do it during the pandemic because I needed the connection and that was the only way I could do it. Um, but I am much happier to talk to people in person and let things happen organically then stage things and go, "Okay, at 10 p.m. I need to do this. At 10:25 I need to do this. I need to make sure the lighting is right over here. That's way too much for me." No. What's going on?

1:29:18Well, I I do. It's like you were talking about I I mean it the there is something about the live element, the face to face, the real energy and the connection that you feel that's so visceral in a room. Yes, that's a good way of putting it. It is it's almost a tangible thing that that's it's it's a shared experience. It's and that I mean humanity's had that for how many thousands of years of having those shared experiences. I mean that's that's how civilizations are built is shared experiences and connections and families and and growth um and community. And I mean it's it's cheesy to say there's

1:29:56unity and community, but that is a lot of it. Um, and I think I think where bands and DJs have a special place in that is that they're able to help provide cover in a way, like a blanket of music that you can just be under for a while and and feel safe and feel confident in who you are. And like anybody who puts out music and finds that finds an audience and finds fans that's I mean you've connected and that's that's such a magical thing. Like like if I had the talent I would be in a band. I would totally do that. I do not.

1:30:32I do what I can. But I mean for other people like they you know if you bake bake cookies you bake you know you you have little house parties you you can do karaoke. Awesome. I cannot do karaoke. Uhuh. No. Petrifies me. No, do it. But but wow, will I make some faces. I can lip sync like nobody's but I have I have an inner drag queen. I I don't karaoke either, so I'm with that one. I I cheer my friends on. I love cheering people on. Like, I think it's awesome. But I I like to cover songs. I like to play them, but there's

1:31:13just I don't know what it is, but Okay. Yes. But I am a very avid cheerleader for people that I get to go along with. So I I they say like you if you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter. So I used to call myself I will be your jock strap. I will absolutely support you. You need to happen. Uh Pete saying, "Same Spider. Wish I had talent to be in a band." I mean maybe it's the kazoo. Like maybe I just haven't found the right instrument. Maybe like I need a kazoo. Yeah, I have a fart gun, but I don't think that's the same thing. Is that a

1:31:50thing? I didn't even know. Yeah, the minions have a fart gun. You can buy a fart gun and it just you can just trigger farts and it's they don't smell. I think there's one that does smell, but that's silly. Um, but no, sometimes like when I just need to like vent a little bit and I can't actually say things out loud, I just fire it off and weird. Oh my gosh, that's awesome. Cathartic. Like toys should always be a thing. Like again, I said Play-Doh. Like I keep Play-Doh around because you just never know when you just got to make a thing and then snatch it. Yes,

1:32:28I have Play-Doh. Yeah. Yeah. And also the smell of Play-Doh, right? Like just smelling Play-Doh. It just brings you back to just like crayons and and stuff. So, are there any um like upcoming shows um that you're that you're um so I've got digital noir once once a month. So, the next one will be May 24th here in Charlotte. Um and May is is a big month for us uh because you know we have Reququum and um Shadow Play, which all also happen uh monthly in Charlotte. Um, but we'll also have the Goth Picnic here in Charlotte. Um, which is our annual Charlotte Dark Scene sort of umbrella

1:33:04event. We've been doing that for a number of years. Um, and it's just a great day. Everybody brings it. If you bring a dish, don't bring a dish. It's fine. Um, but it's you everything from empanadas to like brisket to like wings to an ambrosia salad. Like you don't know what's going to happen. Um, we also do go swap which everybody brings like stuff that they're no longer wearing. You bring an item, you get an item. You know, it's just swap and it's a great way. We'll raise money for various charities, you know, if people want to donate to help support, but also, you know, usually it ends up going to like

1:33:34the Trevor Fund or something that we believe strongly in in our area, local uh support groups. Um, and it's also fun to see people, you know, bring their kids out, their little ones, um, their dogs, and it's just a very nice casual day sort of thing. Um, I encourage anybody that happens to be in Charlotte or surrounding areas and you don't have a picnic going on in your area, please come join us. Uh the Charlotte dark scene is on Facebook and we have the event set up there. Um we'll have music and all sorts of other stuff. It's a it's a labor of love, but it's great. Um

1:34:04and then um yeah, as digital noir, I think the next that's pretty much it for me just monthly. Like this month was very busy for a lot of different reasons, but um it's starting to settle down a little bit. So um but if I'm not actually spinning somewhere, I'm usually at the event anyway cheering on, supporting the bar because that's important. Um, but also like just chatting with people and and when you're DJing, you really don't get a chance to chat with people. Like I've got three and a half minutes, which means I can give you two. If I'm playing Sisters of the Mercy, it's because I have to pee.

1:34:35Um, and then me time to run to the bathroom. Um, but yeah, it's a, you know, that gives me a chance to connect with people is when I'm at somebody else's night. Um, and also I can go, is it midnight already? I can get a bedtime down. Um but uh no and like when bands are coming in like anytime there's a band coming in I try to be there unless my schedule won't allow it. I know we've got uh Rose Garden Funeral Party will be on tour and they're coming through at the beginning of May. Um we just had Voltater here. Um and I think I

1:35:08think we've got a couple of other big shows coming up too. And then we've got all of our fringe events. We have Burlesque in Charlotte. So that's always great to go out and support. We've got a couple of really great burlesque troops in town. um down in Gastonia, which is about 45 minutes 40 45 minutes from Charlotte, depending on traffic. Um they've started a night down there called uh Gothonia. Um and so they're starting to find their rhythms down there. Um and I'm I do a lot bringing DJs in from other scenes, too. Like Digital Noir is always I have a guest DJ and I try to bring them from other

1:35:39places because I want to hear I want to play with people that challenge me. Like I don't know your set. Like I don't know what you're going to do. Let's see what happens. Um, but also so that people come out to the night. If you want to travel, cool. Now you know this DJ in Raleigh. Now you know this DJ that's over here. If you're traveling, you're like, "Oh, I saw them at Digital Noir. Cool. We should go to that night." Like again, get that travel going. Get that going. Um, there was a years ago art bar down in Columbia was doing a goth night

1:36:04down there and they had a one night just people showed up randomly total people they didn't know and they planted a pirate flag on the bar and they had a great time and then they left. Apparently they came down from Knoxville and Knoxville didn't have anything going on so they decided to caravan down to a night they didn't know. Bunch of cars all just loaded in to have a great time. They planted a pirate flag on the bar. They had a great night. they crashed out and then they headed home afterwards. Do that. Go see another scene. Go listen to another night. Don't try to, you know,

1:36:35just see what that vibe is like. You might discover a band you don't know. You might discover like I love the milestone because you never know what you're going to see there for bands. Like it could be a goth band. It could be a hardcore punk band. It could be a metal band. It could be death rock. Could be like it's so varied. like for five or 10 bucks to small venues. Go support your small venues in your towns because they're fostering new bands, new artists. Um the M just had a finished a documentary a couple years ago uh and it's making the rounds and it's such a

1:37:05great look at a the history of the Milestone, but also just in general, every city has a small venue that's DIY. It's supporting like bands that are just starting out. It is an easygoing place. Is it the prettiest place? No. Is it going to be like I mean I love the milestone but it's put together with stickers, sweat, blood, tears um and broken drumsticks. It's um just but it's so much history there that it's it feels eternal. But every town has a place like that. And you know if you just have nothing else going on a night it's a $5 night. Go see a band. It might be like

1:37:43something you've never seen before, something new, something different. You know, don't be afraid to go see something you don't know. Like, what's the worst that could happen? Like, you know, you don't like it. Okay, now you know you don't like that. That's learning. That's that's how you know. You don't know till you know. Yeah. No, the milestone is so special. Um, the first time we walked in, I mean, we were already kind of like aruck because we knew, you know, some of the history of of the bands that have come through. Um, and uh, you know, you feel the vibe. You feel the energy of the

1:38:17building. You walk in, it is plastered with like set lists and stickers and everywhere. Everywhere you go, you can even look on the ceiling and it's there. And I think that's amazing. It is. And it's it's every band that comes through, I love watching their faces when they see it. And I'm always a little sad that there's so many people that come out tonight's and then it's a mixed bag, right? It's like, I really want you to see this place in broad daylight so you understand and you can see and you can find the stickers and you can see everything, but also nobody should ever

1:38:44see a club in broad daylight. Any club like it'll ruin the magic. You know, fans get the joy of seeing it when they do load in. Then you get the atmosphere and that's what crafts it together. It's like sometimes you don't need to see what's going on behind the curtain. Um, but it is the milestone is special and the documentary is fantastic. It just it's I'm I'm very proud of the people that put it together because they've done a wonderful job with it and I can't wait till more people get to see it. It's been doing some small tours around the southeast to rave reviews. But

1:39:11again, the core message to me that I came out of was just like every town has a small venue. Who is your small venue? Support it because when they go away like what happens to those bands that had to start somewhere? Arian slept on the floor at the milestone when they were still rapid eye movement. Like the band you see now could be Arian later, could be Nirvana later, could be somebody massive later. And you can say, hey, you can say you were there, but don't go for that. Go because that band is just starting out. They're just finding their legs. And you know, be

1:39:43supportive like be the dog. No, I think it's it's it's on it's truly a remarkable like community. Um, you know, the venue is amazing. The community is amazing. Like we we've I just cannot say enough good things about our experience, you know, there. And we just absolutely love it. When you were mentioning the the Goth Picnic, I was like, "Oh, I want instant transport because I want to be there." Well, here's I mean, other cities do it, too. And I think it just And again, you don't have to be like a mover and a shaker. Like, it only takes two people to have a picnic. Like great, you have

1:40:23two people. Then you have four people. Then you have six people and the next thing you know you've got a couple hundred people and you've got two picnic tables filled with food and three tables filled with like clothing and everybody's like pulling through it trying to find and then it's cool too because you go out to the next night and you're just like, "Oh my god, that looks great on me. Was that right? Why did I give that up? Looks really good on you." Um, but it's, you know, it's people like it's the fashion. It's the creativity. It's how they put it together. And then

1:40:50you discover things that like I had no idea that a friend of mine was just an incredible empanada maker. I'm a little sad he's moving from Charlotte because I'm going to lose these guava empanadas which were like a staple of our picnic. Um but uh yeah, it's um yeah, picnics like World Goths in the middle of the week this year. Um but that's what we just cycle around. It's May, you know, if you want to go have a picnic, have a picnic. Just nothing wrong with a picnic. Get outside, get some sunshine. It won't kill you. Well, could, but you know, kind of shady treat.

1:41:24As Stalon Turf says, we have one here in Minneapolis. It's Gothic coffee, too. See, coffee, it doesn't have to be a picnic. You can do coffee. Some things do not have to all revolve around bars. You can do things. You can find ways to connect with people. A book club, you know, do a book club, do a knitting club, do a, you know, a crafty night. You know, sometimes it just takes it just takes one person, you know, to start a revolution. Even if that revolution is just like, "Hi, I need a social life help," you know, just do one one starting piece. Um, and then you'll

1:41:54you'll find other people and they're they're out there. We just our particular people tend to hang out in the dark and like bats. Uh well um I just want to say first of all thank you so much to everyone that's been been hanging out with us and and bringing your your wonderful um joy and support and questions. Um it's been such a joy and DJ Spider, thank you so much for for for your beautiful wonderful you and what you bring to the community and your just sheer joy. like I I spend time with you and instantly my I just feel like I'm constantly smiling. So just

1:42:35thank you so much for that. Well, same thing. And I'm looking forward to I know you guys are doing a small tour and I'm very excited that you guys will be at Smalls for Cats Fixation because I was at Fixation last year and met Cat briefly and I know she was a very big part of that community there and I'm glad they're still keeping that event going. Um and it's a great lineup, fantastic lineup this year. So I'm sure you'll have fun. And are you doing Absolution this year? Cuz I remember last year you got rerouted because of the storms and everything. Yeah, we um

1:43:05we're it's a redo um except a redo for reals hopefully. Um so um yes, we're going to be playing on the first night. Uh Actors actually is headlining that particular night. So I'm super excited. Yeah, they're great. So um it's it's I mean just an amazing lineup all around on for both festivals. So, and I just again I love the communities there. Like you know, we we we played at Smalls last year with um Urban Heat. Um and yeah, they just it was it was amazing. Um it was our first time playing at Smalls and um we just felt so welcomed by CAT, by by everybody there. Um and same with

1:43:47Absolut Yeah. We love We love them. So yeah. Yeah. Well, hopefully you'll get back into the Charlotte area because I love watching people discover you for the first time and then people they get excited that you're coming back. So, we have to make that happen again. Yes. And then and then we can plan our our onesie Uh well, um I hope everyone has a beautiful rest of your Sunday, rest of your week. Um thank you all so much. Thank you so much, DJ Spider. Um, for those of you who have not experienced the magic of DJ Spider, check out her incredible playlists. They are amazing.

1:44:27Yes. Yes. Thank you. Yes. So, um, we dropped some links in the chat so y'all can follow along. So, yes, but stalkers. Thank you all so