Open House Conspiracy

Warehouse Party with Franck Roger at Graffiti Gallery, St. Pete, September 23, 2023

Recognizing Self Harm Awareness Month in Honor of Nick Moses

March 14, 2022 by Open House Conspiracy

March is Self Harm Awareness Month. Many have lost someone throughout this difficult pandemic. Our tight-knit house music community specifically felt the loss of fellow music lover, friend, and supporter, Nick Moses, the first week of November in 2020. There have been a lot of moments since where his presence still surrounds us. One such is recently coming across this Jus-Ed broadcast with a mental health theme that began only a day after Nick’s passing. It was recorded for Beatport’s ReConnect series, a 24-hour-long virtual music festival and conference, benefiting When The Music Stops, a non-profit focused on depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicide prevention. We can only imagine Nick would’ve been tuned in and maybe the messages of love, acceptance, and understanding spread by Ed would’ve resonated, but we share now in the hopes that they still do make an impact for someone out there still struggling. Ed was our last party guest and last public gathering before lockdown. Nick was there, front and center as always, with his mom and stepdad. One of our last interactions with Nick was him trying to help us find a location for that event, so it is fitting we’ve wound up at The Factory, where his mom is a resident artist, for Ed’s return. As we bring the events back, we’d be remiss not to remember Nick and connect all the threads he left for us.

We’ve purposefully chosen this set by Jus-Ed for our promotions leading up to the event in Nick’s memory. Life is complex and this is one of its most difficult issues where it can often feel like too little too late, so we will continue to raise awareness and, most importantly, try to implement efforts as an organization and community towards prevention. Please feel free to reach out and contact us if you have any ideas on how we can do better or programs we can implement as event organizers. Let’s have a dialogue.

“I hope that this video reaches you good folks out there and I hope it touches at least one person that was feeling down and out.”

Nick’s mom wanted us to share the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a resource.

Are you in a crisis?

Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

Or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

Sunshine City Disco Island Party with Bosq at Pine Key, Apollo Beach, July 18, 2021

How the Pandemic Has Shone a Spotlight on Our Values

May 21, 2021 by Open House Conspiracy

Editorial

COVID-19, culture, dance music, livestreaming, music, nightlife, pandemic, safe space, spotlight, values

For some, the pandemic was a real eye opener. With others, it just brought to the surface and exposed what we already knew. For our organization, it reinforced some of the traits that have come to define our collective and how we choose to operate. We are a community minded group driven by a deep passion for the music and culture. As the light at the end of the tunnel starts to wash over us, with more and more things feeling possible again and people beginning to envision a post-pandemic life, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on all this.

While there is a lot of talk about the future, it’s important to recognize that the pandemic isn’t over and at this point there is no clear cut closure, instead transitioning into another endemic risk we simply live with. We are all probably best served by cautious optimism and stripping of our reservations, rather than a full-fledged reversal of all the protections we’ve taken so far. Still, now that the local rules effectively shuttering our business have finally been lifted, the US vaccines have proven highly effective in the real world, and CDC guidance has changed (as a result) so that those who have done what is necessary to protect themselves and each other no longer have to be policed regarding masks, it feels like the pandemic is close to being behind us. There are still too many cases, but hopefully they continue to drop further down as more people get vaccinated, until they become a negligible background number. We must practice patience until then, as it will take some time to properly distribute and give people a fair shot at the vaccine.

This may come as a surprise to some since compliance was often completely absent, but for much of the pandemic we were not legally allowed to operate as a dance party. While we could work within requiring masks when standing, people congregating was banned and we were never interested in policing people or their bodies. Sit down lounge events were the only alternative, but with restaurants and bars already having so much on their plate, there wasn’t a lot of time, energy, or patience to focus on incorporating events. Under these conditions, we were still able to pull off alternative programing with a dance workshop and seated service film screening, but when it comes to a party the requirements were in total opposition to the entire point of our events, which is to allow people to come together, be free, feel comfortable expressing themselves, and let their guard down.

There is a certain irony here behind us pointing to following the orders as something that stood in our way, since our members have been behind all-night warehouse parties and pop-ups in the past — meaning bucking the law has never beyond us. Those were in instances of no harm, no foul. Emergency orders based on the recommendations of public health experts and epidemiologists meant to keep people safe though? That is very different. A little bending of the rules here and there is no longer just acting a little rebellious when people’s lives are at stake. It is detrimental to our culture and damaging to our community. We have always been a community minded collective, sourcing art, talent, and vendors locally and sometimes at great lengths just to make sure we what we put forward was an authentic and unique reflection of our area.

The COVID-19 deniers and naysayers have consistently taunted this caution as being ruled by fear, but once again there is a certain humor to anyone who should say that, seeing as our crew have almost killed themselves to put on events in previous times. From running on zero sleep to death-defying balancing acts setting up, close-call electrocutions to fleeing or sheltering from the calls of mother nature, they’ve been exposed to a lot. In the event of something more extreme, they would be some of the first to run into harms way and protect people. One of our co-founders and residents literally had a near-death experience from gigging. The truth is, we operate from a place of love and compassion. We love this music, the culture, and the people who are as passionate about it as us and care deeply for each one of them as a result. Maybe we are better served calling into question the motives of those that continued on as if it was all nothing. What were they thinking or afraid of? The reality is this is not a pleasant path to follow and we’re to discover there are not many good answers behind any attempts to justify it.

As music lovers first and foremost, the pandemic was an opportunity to step outside the grind of events and gigging to reconnect with and discover far more diverse music. Normal times often lead to routines, ruts, and relying only on songs that serve some utility. The music never stopped, artists continued making it, sharing it, and even playing it through livestreams. If anything, this connection with and over music was capable of being shared far wider than ever before. Platforms were shared with a sense of camaraderie, many seeking to document and expose new artists and DJs that might otherwise go overlooked. We learned to adapt in this way with a few livestreams of our own. Nobody is saying it is the ideal way to experience the culture, and we all certainly miss socializing and connection, but what about all the people who can no longer see or talk to their loved ones because they are gone? Whereas, we’re beginning to peek out of our quarantine shells and gather again, that luxury is now not afforded to over half a million Americans that have died.

We have always been firm believers in the idea of a safe space, a trait that goes back to the earliest seeds of this culture, like the rent parties held at David Mancuso’s Loft, where society’s marginalized could finally freely come together and express themselves in dance, without the stigmatization or pressures of the world. This guiding principle means always protecting our vulnerable, whether they identify as trans, queer, a woman, or noncomforming. During the pandemic, it meant the elderly, immunocompromised, and frontline medical and essential workers. In the same way we, as well as many promoters (especially those from Florida), have canceled events for hurricanes because we couldn’t reasonably ask people to drive out in such conditions and endanger themselves, the parties had to be put on pause.

As we explore what it means to restart in this transition period, we will continue to stick to these values and hope to finally offer a welcoming environment again for those that have felt excluded in some of the recklessness and disregard around them. While we explore dipping our toes back in, some may or may not hear about it, depending on if they share these values. It is nothing personal, it is just us reclaiming our spaces for feeling accepted, comfortable, and safe together again.

The “Death” of Elbee Bad

April 29, 2021 by Open House Conspiracy

Uncategorized

UPDATE: This post was unintentionally public on our site when it is still a work in progress, but it has been referenced by CDM now, so we will leave it up as we finish it. Also, since this article began being written, Lamont Booker has actually recently passed in a strange and unironic twist of fate, at the start of June, as confirmed by his room mate and colleagues.

The title of this piece is both an entirely true statement and a wholly misleading lie. eLBee BaD — the late 80s house music alias and identity — is dead, as per its creator, Lamont Booker, who is still alive and kicking. This may come as a shock if you were exposed to the recent wave of rumors and fake news spread across social media and pushed by prominent dance music magazines while accepted as fact and amplified by the rest of the industry. The rest are probably thinking, “Well, of course he is alive, why would I assume he’s dead?”

What lead to his demise is a symptom of everything wrong with the fast paced online information environment and how it propels the constant spread of misinformation. In typical fashion, the news of a beloved house artist’s death made much more of a stir than the celebration of their work while they’re alive, except here we actually have a chance to correct that record. What should be a cautionary tale, seems to have just blown by without any remedy or much additional thought. Keep in mind, the story that follows is still from an outsider’s perspective, as I do not personally know Lamont Booker. Only he can speak to what really went down and, thankfully, he lives to do so.

The “news” that eLBee BaD had died first came across my feed on the evening of March 31st. My heart sank and I thought, “Another one, how can this be?” You see, I, like I’m sure many others, have a heightened sensitivity to death during this time. From a purely mathematical standpoint, there is simply more of it as the world grapples with a deadly global pandemic. Most of has have experienced a loss close to us. I know I was not alone in mourning the death of Mike Huckaby, who was tragically taken from us very early on due to the virus, as he was loved by and such a huge influence on so many in the electronic music world. Similarly, a lot of that same community also joined in a final farewell to Orlando based producer, DJ, and Finale Sessions label owner Michael Zucker, who lost his battle with cancer. In my local music community, we’ve lost others to sudden heart attacks and suicides. It’s been devastating and relentless, to the point that any death can feel triggering.

I began to have doubt and disbelief, even if this was selfish and just maybe for my own personal sake. I considered that the date placed it in the range of April Fool’s day shenanigans, but surely someone’s death is not to be made light of? Clearly this could not be some kind of joke, but as I looked into the information provided that was being relied on, it did not pass the smell test for truth either. The sole source seemed to be a confusing and rambling Facebook post on eLBee BaD’s artist page dated March 19th. It stated that on “March 9th, 2021 Mr. BaD left the planet.” A quick look revealed he had posted new music since then, as well as multiple times on an alternative page that featured many fringe COVID-19 topics. Going back a few entries earlier on his main page, there were two posts that painted a clearer picture, beginning with a poem-like text image showing an obvious dissatisfaction with pandemic life and the delineation that “The Artist eLBee BaD has left the planet,” referencing the same previous March 9 date, followed by another photo that featured a tomb stone with eLBee BaD atop the years 1988–2021. Now, I was not born yesterday and certainly it is obvious neither was Lamont Booker born in 1988, but he did begin releasing records then under the exact alias L.B. Bad. Returning back to the mid-March post that would become the sole basis of all the misinformation circulating around his death, it stated towards the end that eLBee BaD was “survived by L.B. GooD, The Nervous DJ, Mad Man in the Attic, The VooDoo Man.” Piecing it all together, it became much more likely to me that this was an identity crisis, the death of an alias due to COVID-19 times. Perhaps a new one for all of us in terms of how this message was delivered, but also a welcome relief.

So how did we get here? When Daft Punk announced the duo’s end a month earlier that February through a cinematic video titled “Epilogue,” dance music media didn’t run with, “Thomas Bangalter dies in assisted suicide by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.” That would’ve been ridiculous. Apparently elaborate artistic identities are reserved for Parisians in robot costumes riffing on Black music. Media across the board is known for different coverage and treatment based on racial biases. If looking for greater meaning behind this snafu, one critical interpretation could be that the moment a Black artist ceases to turn out music and provide creative capital, they lose any human value and are as good as dead to these gatekeepers.

It’s important to establish the timeline of the death becoming a misguided reality. In the early morning hours of March 31st, weeks after the aforementioned series of posts, a Twitter user by the name of berlinbeaner tweeted at the most known dance music outlets asking why these online publications weren’t covering the passing of “Lamont Booker aka Elbee Bad aka The Prince of Dance Music.” The situation he had crafted in his head was, understandably, an upsetting one, but also completely dubious. The sole source (and everyone else’s thereafter) of his claim was a personal interpretation of that confusing Facebook post. Our messenger here is not to blame though. This was a misunderstanding and a honest mistake. Besides, most people would not simply take the assertion of a random stranger on the internet as fact. While it is our responsibility to be considerate in our words and always make an effort to ensure the information we receive and share is accurate and truthful, your average person is not expected to act as a verified source. That expectation would fall on the media, who are supposed to maintain a certain level of journalistic integrity.

Later that day, Resident Advisor took the bait, XLR8R followed a day after, and as late as April 28th, the artist’s Discogs’ profile still showed “Died march (sic) 9th 2021” according to a Google cache. RIP’s poured in from large brands like Boiler Room and NTS Radio, alongside posts from DJs big and small. It was sad to see the entire industry so susceptible to a misinformation campaign. At that point, beanerberlin admitted he had no clue what was going on, but by then it was already too late. Yet this admission is still more than what any of the outlets have given us, where basic professionalism would have involved further investigation and finding a credible source, rather than simply accepting this interpretation at face value and running with it.

I certainly didn’t. As the process of questioning what was being fed to me shows, a simple precursory look into other recent posts by the artist would’ve put everything into perspective. These outlets failed to do any of their due diligence and turned the death of eLBee BaD, an identity and alias, into the death of Lamont Booker, the human being. I commented about this on their article, while multiple others also shared information casting doubt. The next morning Resident Advisor had unceremoniously, and without mentioning, deleted their article and XLR8R would be fast to follow. Common decency and a minimum of journalistic integrity would call for a correction to the piece and an update to the public of their error. Instead, these publications have tried to hide what is obviously an embarrassment to them. All the public is left with is deleted articles, tweets, and the misguided assumption another house artist is dead. With Resident Advisor existing as the largest online electronic music platform, it is sad this is the best we get.

You would think Resident Advisor would be on high alert when it comes to proving their value and integrity considering they were widely criticized during the pandemic for their acceptance of a £750,000 government grant from the Culture Recovery Fund meant to support arts and cultural institutions. Many artists themselves weighed in seeing this as a misuse of funds, believing RA to be nothing more than a middleman and reducing their cultural contributions to that of a glorified ticket seller service. A spokesperson for the Arts Council stated in their justification RA’s role in “supporting artists and other organisations that rely on them as a source of income.”

“Wait, I thought this whole thing was supposed to be about eLBee BaD?” Stick with me, as there’s a lot to unpack here. The irony is not lost when turning the focus back to Lamont Booker, who on April 15th shared another 3rd person post from a friend, stating his humbleness in not wanting to make a big deal out of his struggles or ask for donations and pleading with people to buy his latest record, “Amongst the Chaos We Chilling” under the alias LaRhon. Foreshadowing what was to come its closing argument was, “Could save a life long so called famos (sic) starving artist from being a starving & homeless artist *or worser.” Eventually, a GoFundMe was created with posts sharing it on June 7th and June 16th. And what about the platform whose grant was justified as an organization that artists could rely on for income during this difficult time? Was there any coverage or amplification? They were nowhere to be found. Even in their propagation of his death, they shared only a RA Exchange, from which they generate plays and more cultural capital, not places to buy his music or a link to the GoFundMe, both of which would probably help support his grieving family in such an event since artists don’t often participate in benefits like end of life plans.

Resident Advisor has also faced years of criticism about a lack of diversity in staffing and a Eurocentric view that has often lead to a whitewashing in coverage that overlooked the many important contributions of dance music’s Black originators and current creators. In the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, they addressed their shortcomings and committed to do better, joining the ranks of many other corporate entities responding through inclusion and diversity commitments. Albeit a bit dramatic, one could argue that in this recent mishap they were one step closer to unwittingly killing off Black artists, falsifying the record and effectively erasing one of them. This further shows their disconnect from the community they purport to cover, that they had no one on staff who was aware of Lamont Booker’s eccentricities or at least knew someone close to the artist who they could reach out to for clarification and confirmation.

The hope for his fans should be that, in the same way that any character in some fictional narrative (like in comic books) might be killed off temporarily only to be brought back in some crazy plot twist, the same is true here. The turn of events in this narrative seems to be much more obvious, the end of the current coronavirus crisis, which is certain, although the path leading there may still murky. Many lamented about him never getting his comeuppance, with one Twitter user stating, “Very sad that LB Bad died without ever getting the credit (or probably money) he deserved.”

The demise of eLBee BaD has clearly been festering in the year since this pandemic completely changed the lives of musicians and DJs, as well as so many others, around the world. The global, national, and local responses, as well as our relegation to digital alternatives has left a bad taste in the mouths of many. Lamont Booker is hardly alone, as similar sentiments have been shared from artists far and wide like US DJ Pierre or the currently Australia based Steve Spacek — mind you these are not the best or most prominent examples, nor an exhaustive list, simply others I’ve noticed. Artists are often rebellious, fringe thinkers by nature and some quite eccentric, which anybody following Booker for any length of time would’ve understood about him.

Lamont Booker is The Prince of Dance Music. This is not just a moniker, but something he embodies. He lives and breathes dance music. It has lead to him being prolific as a producer. Likewise, clubbing was a way of life to him as a DJ and dancer.

What started as an attempt to be positive, sharing Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge “It’s Alright” with the caption “Yup, always looking to the positivez!!” the funny, sharing The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” and saying we “still got more party-ing 2 do!” and the encouraging, his own “Just Don’t Stop the Dance.” It progressed to a bit darker, like sharing Chris Korda’s “Save the Planet Kill Yourself.” To making and releasing music like “We Ain’t Going Out Like That” featuring a stick figure wielding a spear with the coronavirus at another. A third person post asking for help…

House Nation Vaccination

April 19, 2021 by Open House Conspiracy

News

Who else is looking forward to group hugs and celebrations like this again?

Today marks a further turning point in getting events back, with eligibility for the vaccine opening up to all US adults. While we acknowledge it will still take some time to get the vaccine into arms, we are excited for the future. We want to encourage our followers to sign up and get vaccinated so we can save lives and get life as we used to know it back.

There’s a few things to point out. The vaccines eliminate virtually all serious illness and death from COVID-19. This alone is amazing. Evidence from Israel, the country with the largest share of their population vaccinated, and early indicators in CDC data show positive signs that the vaccines are also helping prevent infection and spread itself, an outcome that many were optimistic about and believed could prove correct, but cautiously did not get ahead of without evidence. We look forward to the completion of current studies that will give us a definitive understanding of this factor.

Complications due to vaccination are extremely rare and these risks are far less when compared to those of COVID-19. Government health organizations have taken an extra cautious response to adenoviral vector vaccine candidates (Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca) — not mRNA (Moderna, Pfizer) — and the speculation surrounding their potential for contributing to a serious, but small, number of cases involving blood clotting. It is okay to be hesitant, but where there is personal doubt, there is plenty of publicly available science, data, and information to let you analyze all of this for yourself and make an appropriate decision. Remember, that this is all an ongoing process where our knowledge and understanding can and will change. Allow room for this ever evolving situation.

Regarding behaviors during this period, as mentioned before, it takes time to get everyone access to the vaccines and its distribution, just like the brunt of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from the virus, has not been equitably shared — actually perhaps the most concerning variable in the vaccination efforts. This, coupled with further vaccine studies mentioned above and the continued high levels of community spread, is why we must continue to show solidarity with mask wearing, social distancing, and other best practices in public.

Hold on, we’re almost there. We look forward to dancing together again soon.

International Women’s Day Challenge

March 8, 2021 by Open House Conspiracy

News

choose to challenge, club culture, dance music, DJ, electronic music, equality, female, gender gap, industry, International Women's Day, nightlife, women

International Women’s Day is a good opportunity to take a moment and reflect on gender in dance music and this year’s global theme is “choose to challenge.” The existing disparities are glaringly obvious, even if just from a peripheral glance, but thanks to the work of groups like female:pressure and more women speaking out about their experiences in the industry, there is no doubt about the inequities facing women in dance music. Although women have always played various roles in our events, unfortunately, their representation behind the decks is an area where we must admit Open House Conspiracy comes up short as an organization. We are committed to changing this regardless of any reasons for it, but it is important to first try to understand it.

A good place to start is our bookings. To be clear, we do not book based on sex, age, race, nationality, sexual orientation, or any other factors like these and never have. This will not change. It is our opinion that trying to hit a quota would in turn become patronizing, for instance, but do not discourage anyone from doing what they feel it takes to reach more equitable outcomes. As a group that prioritizes music over all else, our programming standards have been strict. This means it’s hard to find DJs of any background that fit our music direction. When it comes to female representation on our lineups, we have certainly failed though.

On a local level, this is partly the result of a smaller pool of female DJs to even choose from. We are aware of one regional DJ that shares our interests and we have extended an open invite to play, but she is taking a break from DJing, so we’re limited to when she is ready again. There are others just starting out that are on our radar too. This lack of options does not make the transgression forgivable and we are by no means interested in using it to hang our hat on and give up. It has always been our ethos that if something doesn’t exist, we will create it. We have committed to annual DJ scholarships taught by our residents that focus on underrepresented and marginalized groups, prioritizing Black, female, LGBTQ, and low-income recipients. The selection for a female recipient has already been made thanks to the recommendation of one of our judging committee members, Christopher Scott Caldwell. She represents some of the intersectionality between these worlds, with a specific interest in ballroom culture, filling a void in DJs specialized for that community in Florida, and coming from Asian decent. We look forward to introducing her more officially in the future.

Of course, when it comes to touring talents, there is no justification for why representation has been lacking in our lineups, as there are plenty of women artists across the country and internationally to invite to play our party. We have been lucky to host the inspiring K-HAND, “the First Lady of Detroit techno” and a trailblazing artist who laid out a path for not just women but Detroit’s musical exports in general, regardless of gender, play for us. Also, we were thrilled to find out Jen Xerri, from DJ Minx‘s Women on Wax collective, regularly splits her time between Florida and Detroit and jumped on the opportunity to add her to our Jus-Ed day party last March, just before shutdown. There have surely been other women to play at our events, but when we are talking about merely a handful, we must do better and we are committed to challenging ourselves to do just that.

dj-k-hand-open-house-conspiracy-the-attic-tampa — Detroit DJ K-HAND at The Attic in Ybor, July, 2018

Why is dance music often notoriously absent of women? We’ve listened to many interviews and panels on the subject as we’ve come across them. Mixing the voices we’ve heard from with our own experiences, we believe it is a combination of lack of representation and a notoriously hostile environment. Sexism and misogynistic beliefs run rampant and are often left unchecked in this boys’ club of an industry, so women taking to the decks have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously and gain the same respect as their male counterparts. Besides, at the end of the day, technical skills can only get you so far, as nightclub DJing has devolved into something that is not exactly always a shining example of meritocracy. If a female DJ is technically as good as the next guy, what does it matter if they’re not “boys” with the booker or promoter? This uphill battle can help explain the conspicuous absence of women from the decks.

Some of you may have noticed this dynamic can spill out onto the dance floor as well. In a lot of instances, dance music crowds skew more heavily towards men. Once again, we must ask ourselves why? A message is already being sent by the lack of representation behind the decks that the club is not a place for women. Some of these men going out may aspire to be DJs and are there to seek inspiration or show a dedication to networking, often thinking, “I can be a DJ like him.” They can almost always see something of themselves in whoever is occupying the booth. There’s also the clubbing experience itself. Many women do not feel safe at nightclubs due to the predatory nature of pick up culture and those going out with that in mind. Instances of sexual harassment are more prevalent than anyone would like to admit and none of us are far removed from someone who has been victim to violent outcomes like rape or assault. These factors coupled with alcohol and drugs, can be a dangerous mixture.

This is why it is important to proactively and purposefully foster an environment often referred to as a “safe space,” where people feel welcome and the vulnerable are protected. There are many stories of victims not being heard or taken seriously. Thankfully, throughout our years of doing events we have been without serious incidence, as we’ve grown largely through word of mouth and organically. The bigger we got, the more of a concern maintaining this track record became. This is why Open House Conspiracy has a clearly laid out conduct policy page and places a link for attendees to check it out on our event listings. If this should detract would-be offenders who see it as “PC virtue signaling,” or whatever they want to label basic human decency these days, then so be it, we are better off without them. The other side is that those who have always wished for or seek such experiences feel seen and welcome by the intentions we’ve set out for participating in our events.

We will continue to choose to challenge the status quo, but make sure we are doing a better job when it comes to the disparity of women DJs in dance music through supporting with more representation in the lineups at our own events, offering learning opportunities for future female DJs, and extending our efforts to create an ever safer environment for all to enjoy.

Welcome to Our Newest Resident DJ, Christian Parchuke

February 23, 2021 by Open House Conspiracy

News

acid house, Chicago, Christian Parchuke, DJ, EBM, italo disco, Mystic Bill, new wave, Paper Crane, Pride, St. Pete, Station House, trax, warehouse

We’re excited to announce our newest resident DJ, Christian Parchuke. He’s lent a helping hand to make our events happen on many occasions, but our favorite story is that of him diving into DJing, and this photo from our Pride Rooftop Disco party captures what was yet to come perfectly.

It shows Parchuke front and center, chin-stroking, during our second time hosting Mystic Bill in the Sunshine City for St. Pete Pride in 2018. Little did he (or we) know he’d later go on to join Bill behind the decks a year later to make his DJ debut when we brought the Chicago legend back for a warehouse party at Paper Crane — next door to where we first originally had him at The Movement Sanctuary with King Britt for a Christmas party in 2017 that would wind up being a catalyst for many cultural shifts to come for the city.

If all of this feels like too many full circle moments, that tends to be the effect of operating from a place of pure love. The reason we picked Parchuke to open the party was that his passion for the music and events was obvious and, after a session hanging out at his place, we discovered he was also holding back on a great personal record collection heavy on EBM, new wave, italo disco, and early Chicago house trax. This made him an excellent fit for Mystic Bill, so we asked him if he had ever thought of DJing, offered him the gig, and told him he had about a month to prepare. The night of, we threw him to the wolves, opening to a room already full of serious dancers spilled over from a pre-party dance workshop with What the Punk Fest. He handled it with class and delivered a set well beyond his experience on the decks.

Since that gig, he has been honing his skill at home and on Austen van der Bleek’s livestreams. We’re excited to welcome him to the collective as he has a taste and style unique unto himself, representing a range of sounds that would otherwise be absent from our area. Be on the lookout for a future Open House Conspiracy livestream showcasing his talent.

Dunedin International Film Festival with Reggie Dokes at Dunedin Art Cave, Dunedin, January, 2020

Receiving Pandemic Relief Grants from the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County

November 8, 2020 by Open House Conspiracy

News

COVID-19, creative arts, dance music, events, government, grants, Open House Conspiracy, pandemic, performing arts, Pinellas, relief, Saint Petersburg, small business

Because we believe it’s important during these times, we wanted to share some good news with you all. We’re happy to announce and thankful to have received a combined $5k in grants from the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County Government as a small arts business through their Fighting Chance Fund and Pinellas CARES Local Business Grant, respectively. While there was no requirement to thank them, we’d like to do so anyway in the name of openness and transparency. We greatly appreciate the city and county governments being proactive in taking care of their creative community, one which they proudly sell our area on in good times. Whereas it is easy to pay lip service to the arts, this is was them putting their money where their mouth is at a time when many things don’t necessarily come through or to fruition. If the amounts seem like a lot, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the normal revenues our business and others like us have missed out on, but we are grateful for any assistance. These may be merely bandages, as they do not heal all our wounds or stop the bleeding, but they give a sense of resolve and some security. Our local government officials deserve credit for this and we’re sure many of the other businesses in the arts will continue to exist as part of what makes this city shine once this is over because of it. Most importantly, with the health and safety of our community the number one priority for us as event organizers, they’ve stepped up to encourage, rather than punish, us for making necessary sacrifices and doing the right thing during this pandemic.

We’d also like to take the opportunity to talk about some of the ways in which we’re a part of the local creative economy. People come to dance to our DJs, but in addition to booking a diverse group of independent, underground artists, Open House Conspiracy also commissions art, design, and sometimes live projections from visual and graphic artists. In the past, we’ve also paid for art installations and performance art such as drag performers or entertainers when we can incorporate this. For many events we bring in photographers and videographers, whose work we treat as the art of story telling, rather than simply a marketing tool. We also secure space pro-bono for emerging artist exhibitions and dance and DJ workshops. Creativity has also been on display through working with local chefs for pop-up food concepts or vendors sharing their fashion style with the world. This year, we took our Dunedin International Film Festival programming to another level by incorporating a screening of ELECTRIC ROOTS and a talk on film composing by Reggie Dokes and are working on something similar for 2021. All of this is in addition to hiring more technical roles like sound, lights, and door, as well as supporting bar staff and supporting local boutique hotels with room reservations. It takes a whole community to pull off these events, including all of you who generously support us.

These funds will be used to cover our reoccurring bills, help with past and future livestreams, procure merchandise to sell online, keep our core DJs afloat where necessary, and return to events confidently and safely whenever it’s possible and responsible to do so.

Stay well and best wishes, until we can dance again.