dj soul sister speaks to you (i.e. my katrina life, new orleans)

Well it's 11:30pm as I write this, only a half hour before the end of my 30th birthday. I didn't celebrate. I had no appetite. My family "surprised" me with cake and ice cream, neither of which I was in the mood for. I slept most of the day because there was nothing else to do. Don't forget, I am in a country town in the middle of nowhere. The front door faces the levee and the back door faces sparse country homes. Can't go home - New Orleans is still under water and now besieged with disease.

Sounds like fun, eh?

It's funny to think that just a couple weeks ago I was talking about looking forward to my birthday with a member of Galactic, New Orleans' funk/jam outfit done good, now internationally known.

We were sitting by the bar at Shiloh, where I was hosting "Throwback: A Hip Hop Jam," just one of my many "right on party situations" (at the time). I'd had a couple Ketel One & cranberries, was feeling awfully bold and silly, and I playfully challenged the Galact-ite (whose name I, unfortunately, don't remember).

You see, Galactic was scheduled to throw it's 10th anniversary celebration parties on Sept. 9 and 10 at Tipitina's. And I, DJ Soul Sister, was scheduled to throw "Soul Sister's Birthday Weekend Throwdown Showdown," billed as a "weekend of parties to end all parties." The madness would start September 9 (my actual birthday) with me DJing at the House of Blues for the very first time, opening and closing for deep funk masters Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. After that, the jam would continue at Shiloh for a big birthday after-party, complete with old school hip hop spun by my good friend the Dynamite DJ Dave Soul, birthday cake and food and God knows what other birthday surprises.

Then, on Saturday the 10th, it would be my "Right On Birthday Party Situation," featuring yours truly on the ones and twos and also "introducing Lady Lolo," a selector DJ who'd recently relocated from L.A. to N.O. who I wanted to support and mentor, if you will. This party was going to happen at Loft 523, a swank but party-friendly downtown hotel lounge. I was envisioning it as the throwdown of the year.

These parties were not only going to be big fun; they represented the amazing culmination of a tumultuous DJ career, filled with highs of throwing amazing parties and making people happy, and lows of dealing with my own extreme shyness and self-doubt. A journey filled with jealous colleagues, misogynistic colleagues, crazy bar owners, non-believing family members and people ready to shoot me down at every turn. The journey was also filled with even more loving friends, mega supportive colleagues, wonderful bar owners and club managers, thrilled journalists and media people, appreciative musicians, and fans of every stripe and type, all of whom I love. These parties were my way of saying "Thank you for helping my dream to come true."

So back at Shiloh on this random Friday, me and Mr. Galactic joked with each other for several minutes about whose parties would have the larger crowd.

"Hey, you're on the same weekend! You're going to take our crowd away," he joked.

"Ha! Hardly," I replied. "We'll be partying late into the night, so y'all stop on by when you're through. We will party down!"

Needless to say, neither of these milestone birthday parties happened. Or will be happening anytime soon.

I'd like to wish Galactic a happy 10th anniversary.

And on behalf of me and the "birthday boys" in Galactic, thank you for helping us make both our dreams come true.

peace,
melissa