Down the Rabbit Hole:
Last Saturday night (the 27th) I had a little rendezvous with a March hare. In honor of Tim Burton’s upcoming film, "Alice In Wonderland: The Party" invited all to escape through an alternative dimension where music and mirrors made it a tea party to remember 2010 by.
Definitely not late for this very important date, I still found myself pushing my way into a mid-sized room where Nashville band Vermicious K’nids tipped their hats to the magical night. Their vibe was Costello-esque, setting the tone especially with a cover of Elvis’s "Pump It Up." An enthusiastic listener told me, a bit later, that the band had made a delicious soup of "creative synth parts, cool harmonies, awesome drumming and tight rhythms." But most importantly, their set was just "really fucking awesome."
DJ Ocuban followed the K’nids with ease. I’ve seen a lot of DJs in Nashville, but never have I sensed that a DJ loved his dancers more than Ocuban. He mixed instrumental beats resurrected circa 1992. He gently roped everyone in, melting together a unified body of movers and casually muttering, "Have one on me," to the whole room. Friends and strangers crowded around him like New York tourists in a street drum circle, disappointed to hear his pad controller go to bed for the night.
Between sets, party people were not left without entertainment. What’s a party without pics? Local photographers of Q Avenue Photography (couple Brad Butcher and Jennifer Eden) snapped shots (such as the above picture) the entire night, while two Mad Hatters served mixed chai and peppermint drinks.
Local DJ Fan Fiction brought the night to its prime. Know him? He has probably played in your basement. Maybe you’ve seen him alongside other DJs at Nashville’s mainstay dance parties. He’s popular for mixing pretty tracks the hipsters love and making them irresistibly danceable. My favorite from the night was Beach Boys meets Marky Mark in "Good Vibrations." Fan Fiction always serves it up right, never playing the same set twice. He flows with the vibe of the crowd; and, as you know, no two crowds vibe quite the same way. This party was definitely a variety show, allowing FF to mix just about any Animal Collective or 80s track he wanted. Turning an empty living room into a zesty wonderland of pop, Fan Fiction, as usual, left everybody spinning.
Well, there ain’t no party like a Nashville party, and this house-made Wonderland was proof enough. House party throwers around the city assure us that they’re going nowhere fast.
Thanks to Kaitlyn Grom, Kit Canlas, Mikayla Lewis and Laura Beam for making this a night not to forget. – Sarah Marie