May our Joy be a Rebellion
Reflections on my time in New Orleans, upcoming gigs, new mixes, and a new way to keep up on events in Portland
Hey Friends,
It’s finally spring in Maine and it's a sunny hopeful day in the midst of so much bleakness. I spent the first few months of the year in New Orleans where I switched out my usual nightlife habits for brass brands, parades, and karaoke in the streets. This year I even seriously picked up my trumpet for the first time since high school and played in a couple bands generous enough to make space for the enthusiastic if unpracticed. (I’m bringing this back to Maine and have joined the Ideal Maine Social Aid and Sanctuary Band)
For 14 years, carnival season has been a critical part of my personal wheel of the year–it’s how I fortify my spirit for another year of surviving and organizing. It's a time of collective creativity in which people do and make things expressly for the delight of others. This year the lessons of New Orleans and Mardi Gras felt particularly pointed. In the face of increasingly unhinged political attacks on trans people, I feel fiercely protective of my right to love myself and enjoy my life.
New Orleans always reminds me that music, dancing, celebration are all tools for resilience and survival. These aren’t the only things we need in times like these, but without them we won’t have what we need to fight. This year for Mardi Gras day, rather than my traditional costuming I decided to cast a spell that I wove through the city and dispersed in a wild wind on the river: may our joy be a rebellion. That’s the energy I'm bringing to dj-ing this summer. Come make magical resistance with me:
Here are some upcoming gigs:
Saturday May 31st 9pm-2am: Moonshake Crew’s Space Gallery Residency. I’m beyond excited for this one. Moonshake Crew is bringing a big city club experience to Portland and I’m so here for it. With a beautiful soundsystem, and top notch lighting these parties are transportive. Come get lost in it with me and KTTNMTTNS. We’ll be playing club music, house and techno all night. I’ll be playing dance music I truly love but with plenty of references to songs you love. Tickets are available here.
Friday June 6th, 7-11: VIVA the Senstation’s Discothique, Empire I’ll be opening the event, so come early to dance and stay for VIVA’s incredible stage show. There might even be red tide t-shirts at this if I can get it together.
Saturday, June 21st, 8pm-1am: QUEER AS IN..A Pride Party for Queer Resistance. This is my biggest party of the year! It’s always sweaty, nasty, joyful, and rebellious… Stay tuned for more details including guest DJs, fundraising announcements, and ticket sales.
Events Signal Group: I know so many of y’all are trying to get off Meta and find ways to stay tuned in without being on the socials all the time. I was on a no chat signal thread for events while I was in New Orleans and loved the format. It’s a place to post flyers for parties, shows, art openings, fundraisers, protests & community events with one rule, absolutely no chatting and no algorithm. I’m trying to get something up and running in Portland. Please join here and then start posting your events & inviting your friends.
Mixes: I’ve recently revamped my Mixcloud with a few examples of the kinds of sets I play so that clubs, parties and people have a sense of what I bring to the party. I’d love for you to give them a listen and share them with a friend. I’m still booking for this summer, so let’s partner on making something fun happen! DM’s on instagram are the best way to start a conversation about booking: @redtide207
Drip Pop Nostalgia: Throwbacks and recent pop favorites in their original form and unexpected remixes.
Pop-Edits Fever Dream: High energy house and club remixes and dance floor bangers. expect the unexpected but also find familiar favorites in a new format.
Pineapple Drive Chain: A sweet but prickly mix of driving dance-ready club beats that explores unexpected but irresistible corners of global dance music.
