DJ Action Slacks Events
The events listed below are my recurring dance parties in Portland
CLUB NITTY GRITTY
Club Nitty Gritty is my most frequent event and takes place at the World Famous Kenton Club, one of the last remaining vintage Portland gritty venues.. It's a celebration of vintage rhythm & blues of the 1950s & 1960s. This party is about coming together with your community and lifting your spirit with the power of music while paying tribute to the artists who MADE the music.
Vivacious vintage vinyl! Rarities accented by a few familiar favorites! - 50s R&B, early soul, butt-shakin' blues, & other gritty grooves!
FILTHY sax, TOUGH stuff, and low down DIRTY grooves.
Gritty Portland is quickly being replaced with slick condos & trendy eateries. However, the rugged, truly "weird” spirit still lives in many of our hearts.
Club Nitty Gritty aims to wipe away the polish that's been slathered upon our city to release Portland's traditional raggedy jaggedy Pacific Northwest spirit.
Bring your dancing shoes and your love of the blues!
Annually - 1st Saturday of December.
Sno-Ball is my annual holiday dance party featuring vintage soul music, 50s R&B, and oldies. The party is an off-shoot of Sugar Town and has proven to be the most beloved of all of my events. People are encouraged to dress-to-impress in holiday colors and/or sparkles.
SUGAR TOWN
QUEER SOUL SHINDIG
From the Willamette Week:
“Founded in 2011, Sugar Town is one of Portland's most established inclusive dance nights. It's also run by one of the city's most knowledgeable vintage soul and blues DJs, Action Slacks, who spins all vinyl, and has an exhaustive knowledge of midcentury American dance music, whether it's obscure dirty blues or blissful soul-pop classics.”
Sugar Town was my first successful recurring party. It was intended to be more than a dance party, but an all-encompassing experience for your multiple senses - Candy for the eyes, ears and lips, but most importantly, sweetness for your soul.
Sugar Town is often a party that contains a theme within a theme within a theme. Due to the popularity of individual Sugar Town themed events, a couple of my other recurring events have spun off into their own thing including Sno-Ball (my annual holiday party) and Respect (my annual celebration of the ladies of vintage soul).
Sugar Town was designed to be a place of positivity where we meet to love & support each other. It's a place for us to recharge, build bridges, and draw strength from our community. And finally, an opportunity to create awareness of various issues and community needs WHILE having a good time.
Here is the original description:
A FLAMING, furious QUEERIOUS dance party featuring all vinyl cuts of the best soul, blues and rhythm and blues dance records of the 50s, 60s and early 70s! Be sure to wear your "sensible" stylish shoes so you won't have anything to weigh down your twinkle toes when you tear up the dance floor! Hits and rarities spun by FOR queers and allies!
THIS is Sugar Town, a magical village painted with candy, rainbows and pure glitz. It's an enchanted land with a vintage dance adventure beyond your wildest dreams! You'll want to visit again and again.
So DON'T GET STUCK IN MOLASSES SWAMP! Get your butt on the dance floor!
Annually - Mid-October
Bewitched my the annual Halloween dance party featuring vintage soul, 50s R&B, and other spooky oldies.
It's my opportunity to go wild with decorations, incorporating all the special effects of the season.
This party has gone through a number of different names over the years including Trick Bag, I Put A Spell On You, and Spellbound.
