Arts & Entertainment
A fond farewell
Gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel bring Blowoff to close
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Blowoff is going on indefinite hiatus after Saturday nightās installment. (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)
Blowoff finale
Saturday
11:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m.
9:30 Club
815 V Street, N.W.
$12
Blowoff, a monthly gay dance party helmed by DJs Richard Morel and Bob Mould, started innocuously. The two were collaborating on a project ā a 2006 album called āBlowoffā ā and finding themselves at the time both living in Washington, the concept was born.
That was 11 years ago.
āWe just kind of said, āWhy donāt we do a party?,āā Morel says. āHe had just moved to town. It was really pretty simple. We started at Velvet Lounge on Sunday nights once a month. Thatās how it began.ā
Saturday nightās event, planned as usual for the January installment to coincide with Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend, will be the duoās last. Thereās no grand proclamation about it being the ālast ever,ā but with Mould now living in San Francisco, a good long run behind them and schedules as tough to coordinate now as ever, Morel says it was time to put the event on indefinite hiatus.
āItās been a very successful event and very personally gratifying and fun and itās done very well, but after 11 years, we both have other projects right now,ā Morel says. āSo weāre just taking a break for awhile. Who knows what might happen down the road in a year or two, but for now, weāre focusing on other projects.ā
Mould, who is traveling this week and wasnāt available for comment, is known widely for his work with the bands Husker Du and Sugar. Heās released a series of well-received solo albums, most recently 2012ās āSilver Age.ā Morel, known widely as a DJ, producer and remixer, has mixed hits for everyone from Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Yoko Ono, Nelly Furtado and scores of others.
The Blowoff concept was simple ā the two took turns spinning for about an hour at a time. Nick Lopata created the partyās visual effects. Linas Garsys created a series of posters that became easily identifiable in the D.C. gay world over many years.
Jacob Pring, a local gay event promoter and CODE producer, says Blowoff will be missed.
āThe music was different, the atmosphere was different and the visual effects were unheard of for the D.C. market,ā he says. āI admire that they were able to create a party with a room full of gay men and no attitudes. Thatās pretty unusual.ā
After about five Blowoffs at Velvet Lounge, the party moved to the basement of the 9:30 Club and for a time was a weekly event. Eventually it moved upstairs in the clubās larger main space.
Morel guesses about 90 percent of attendees on average were gay with a large bear crowd especially. The music was usually a mix of indie rock and house with some dance and electronica, especially in more recent years. Blowoff events were also held at various times in New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Provincetown, Dallas, Denver and more.
Pring admires Mould but says Morel has been especially generous with him, sometimes sending him unreleased mixes to play at his own parties.
āItās always music that just makes you feel good,ā Pring says. āHeās a creative genius.ā
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The 2024 New York City Pride Parade wound through the streets of Manhattan and past the historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday, June 30.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
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The fourth annual Fredericksburg Pride march and festival was held at Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 29. The event began with a march around downtown Fredericksburg beginning and ending in the park.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Covering Fredericksburg Pride for @WashBlade . City Council member @WillMackintosh speaking: pic.twitter.com/tDdVD2IVsM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) June 29, 2024
Photos
PHOTOS: Goodwin Living Pride
Senior living and healthcare organization holds fourth annual march at Falls Church campus
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The senior living and healthcare organization Goodwin Living held its fourth annual community Pride march around its Bailey’s Crossroads campus in Falls Church, Va. with residents, friends and supporters on Tuesday, June 25. Following the march, a drag brunch was held with performances by drag artists of SADBrunch: Crimsyn, Sapphire Dupree and Evon Dior Michelle.
(Photos courtesy of Goodwin Living)
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