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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
DJ LA Jesus "rock'n" the CUBS Hoooouuuse!!
Just got an email from my Nephew (DJ LA Jesus) He had the opportunity to DJ for the CUBS private party last night and I am so very proud of him.
Hey Mom (and Linda, and Jason)!
Yeah, I'm at work today. Very tired, but still riding the high. Last night was awesome!!!
It was a who's who of Cubs players with only a handful of the big players missing... Kerry Wood (who threw the party), Derrek Lee, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Marmol, Bob Howry, Reed Johnson, Mike Fontenot, Scott Eyre... others that I'm forgetting. From my vantage point, elevated up in the dj booth, I watched as player after player arrived (with their absolutely stunning significant others), and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear each time.
The event was catered once again by Smoque Barbecue, quickly becoming regarded as THE BEST barbecue spot in Chicago (side note as evidence: I recently ran into and spoke with Alpana Singh, beloved host of WTTW's show Check Please, who said that their barbecue brisket is "the best I've ever had" --- I concur, it's fabulous). This is the second event I've DJed where Smoque was also featured, so Barry, the owner, and I have become pretty tight now and I can't wait to go actually sit down there and eat... after waiting in the line out the door, that is.
But back to The Cubs... the whole group couldn't have been nicer. The atmosphere at Juicy wine co. is very quaint and cozy, with the upstairs party room and deck-patio holding no more than 40-50 people comfortably, so those in attendance were either Cubs players or their ladies or they were one of the handful of associates. I played lots and lots of soul and late 70's funk and some early 80's jams and had the groove flowing all night... leading up to a thrilling moment: Derrek Lee approached the booth, reached up with his long-ass arm, shook my hand and said, "great tunes, man," smiling. OMFG!!!
Going into it, I just knew there was going to be at least one request from somebody and I was looking forward to seeing who it would be, and what they'd request. Ryan Dempster came up and asked for The Cult's Fire Woman ("fi-yahhhhhh, smoke she is a'risin'!"), which might have been for his lady. I didn't have it, but was able to download it on the spot and play it a few songs later, much to his liking, of course. Later on, as things were winding down and a smaller, but no less enthusiastic, group remained, Kerry Wood's lovely wife Sarah asked for some fun dance music and I threw some of my sure-fire selections at them... remixes of Wild Thing, Bust A Move, Jump In The Line (Shake Shake Senora), I Can't Go For That, Stronger... and things got a little crazy there for a minute.
I DJed from 7 'til 12:30 or so, and didn't get many breaks or chances to meet many of the guys, no photos (which would have been tacky anyway), but just making a good impression and getting a few shouts ("LA*Jesus in the houuuse!") was good enough for me. And, yes, I did get to meet Kerry toward the end of the night, and the conversation went something like this:
Kerry Wood: "Hey, thanks man, for doing this!"
Me: "Well, thanks for the opportunity to do this for you! It's been soooo much fun watching you guys [play]. I mean, this past weekend was unbelievable! (referring to the Crosstown Classic vs. The White Sox, who got swept!)
KW, grinning modestly: "Yeah, we're doing pretty well right now. But, we've gotta do it again here (referring to the upcoming Crosstown Classic this weekend).
Me: "And it's down there [at US Cellular Field], so they'll be out for blood!"
KW, chuckling: "Yeah."
And that was about it. But such a thrill. A while later I was reflecting on shaking the hand of a man who throws 95 mph fastballs for the best team in baseball today, and is the best closing pitcher in the league --- and who is also a super relaxed, down-to-earth guy.
It's been a crazy couple of days... very little sleep due to the TWO gigs I had Sunday night, which had me going home with the sun coming up and the birds singing... pretty tired, but after a night like last night -- being in the presence of The Chicago Cubs, enjoying amazing food and drinking only the finest wines -- who cares, right?! A little taste of The Good Life.
DJ LA Jesus "rock'n" the CUBS Hoooouuuse!!
Just got an email from my Nephew (DJ LA Jesus) He had the opportunity to DJ for the CUBS private party last night and I am so very proud of him.
Hey Mom (and Linda, and Jason)!
Yeah, I'm at work today. Very tired, but still riding the high. Last night was awesome!!!
It was a who's who of Cubs players with only a handful of the big players missing... Kerry Wood (who threw the party), Derrek Lee, Mark DeRosa, Ryan Dempster, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Marmol, Bob Howry, Reed Johnson, Mike Fontenot, Scott Eyre... others that I'm forgetting. From my vantage point, elevated up in the dj booth, I watched as player after player arrived (with their absolutely stunning significant others), and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear each time.
The event was catered once again by Smoque Barbecue, quickly becoming regarded as THE BEST barbecue spot in Chicago (side note as evidence: I recently ran into and spoke with Alpana Singh, beloved host of WTTW's show Check Please, who said that their barbecue brisket is "the best I've ever had" --- I concur, it's fabulous). This is the second event I've DJed where Smoque was also featured, so Barry, the owner, and I have become pretty tight now and I can't wait to go actually sit down there and eat... after waiting in the line out the door, that is.
But back to The Cubs... the whole group couldn't have been nicer. The atmosphere at Juicy wine co. is very quaint and cozy, with the upstairs party room and deck-patio holding no more than 40-50 people comfortably, so those in attendance were either Cubs players or their ladies or they were one of the handful of associates. I played lots and lots of soul and late 70's funk and some early 80's jams and had the groove flowing all night... leading up to a thrilling moment: Derrek Lee approached the booth, reached up with his long-ass arm, shook my hand and said, "great tunes, man," smiling. OMFG!!!
Going into it, I just knew there was going to be at least one request from somebody and I was looking forward to seeing who it would be, and what they'd request. Ryan Dempster came up and asked for The Cult's Fire Woman ("fi-yahhhhhh, smoke she is a'risin'!"), which might have been for his lady. I didn't have it, but was able to download it on the spot and play it a few songs later, much to his liking, of course. Later on, as things were winding down and a smaller, but no less enthusiastic, group remained, Kerry Wood's lovely wife Sarah asked for some fun dance music and I threw some of my sure-fire selections at them... remixes of Wild Thing, Bust A Move, Jump In The Line (Shake Shake Senora), I Can't Go For That, Stronger... and things got a little crazy there for a minute.
I DJed from 7 'til 12:30 or so, and didn't get many breaks or chances to meet many of the guys, no photos (which would have been tacky anyway), but just making a good impression and getting a few shouts ("LA*Jesus in the houuuse!") was good enough for me. And, yes, I did get to meet Kerry toward the end of the night, and the conversation went something like this:
Kerry Wood: "Hey, thanks man, for doing this!"
Me: "Well, thanks for the opportunity to do this for you! It's been soooo much fun watching you guys [play]. I mean, this past weekend was unbelievable! (referring to the Crosstown Classic vs. The White Sox, who got swept!)
KW, grinning modestly: "Yeah, we're doing pretty well right now. But, we've gotta do it again here (referring to the upcoming Crosstown Classic this weekend).
Me: "And it's down there [at US Cellular Field], so they'll be out for blood!"
KW, chuckling: "Yeah."
And that was about it. But such a thrill. A while later I was reflecting on shaking the hand of a man who throws 95 mph fastballs for the best team in baseball today, and is the best closing pitcher in the league --- and who is also a super relaxed, down-to-earth guy.
It's been a crazy couple of days... very little sleep due to the TWO gigs I had Sunday night, which had me going home with the sun coming up and the birds singing... pretty tired, but after a night like last night -- being in the presence of The Chicago Cubs, enjoying amazing food and drinking only the finest wines -- who cares, right?! A little taste of The Good Life.
(The only thing that could make this story better would be if it was for a Cards party ;-) )
I'm not really into the dj scene, but I've actually heard of your nephew. He must be fairly big, at least in Chicago.