The Music of the Night

Music has always played an important part of Feathers history. Whether it was playing the “old” records or creating a state of the art sound board that merged with the lights, it was all done through the expertise of many.
When I first started hanging at the bar the only Dee- jay that stood out was Randy. Randy was oriental and so funny to talk to, but his music would have them dancing all night. I don’t believe people were as into the sound as discovering a place where they could be themselves. Dee-Jay’s got a bad rap back in the day; they were either drug addicts or alcoholics. They needed to feel the music through booze. No one really minded back then, but look at the songs. Many of the songs back then were Broadway hits put to a disco beat. “Memory”, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”, “On My Own” and even Ethel Merman had the Disco hit LP. Now if you know those names you are over thirty and know what I’m talking about-if you don’t just know they are the heroes who made the life style easier for you.
Randy was there for quite a while and worked with Joel, our house light and sound guy, to update the club as much as possible on a shoe string budget. Randy also arranged for the shows and was responsible for the “We are The World” benefit and the Featherette’s. Randy moved to California and by the time he came back, it wasn’t the same place.
Brian was a Dee-Jay who suffered from epilepsy. He was a good Dee-Jay, but so insecure. He never trusted in himself, but the people loved him. Unfortunately, the lasting memory of Brian was when Michael, the assistant manager at the time, worried that something was wrong with Brian. He had not showed up for three of his shifts. He went to where Brian lived and had the landlord let him into the apartment. Brian had had a fit and hit his head on the side of the night stand. He died without even knowing.
Tony Finn was another Dee-Jay. He wasn’t a nice person. He resented working in River Edge, New Jersey, but no one else would hire him. Enough said. Then there was Dave, Chris Johnson and I remember we had a dowdy looking guy at the time of Brian and there were others whose name escapes me at the moment. Alex was a cute straight guy who came in with Lady Tita and John Rizzo. Alex was great and left a lasting impression on me.
Billy DeMarco was a Dee-Jay that not many remember, but you never forget—He actually created the Wednesday night format that is today’s most popular night at the bar. He had a fallen out with the management and the owner and became history. Billy was unique in the sense that he was the Dee-Jay, but also like one of the staff. Usually the Dee-jay’s stay in their own world, Billy popped that bubble.
AJ has been Dee-Jaying since they invented Vinyl! I remember going to a club called “Reflections” , owned by Kenny Diaz, and at the end of the night he would play “New York, New York” and the whole place would do a kick line. It was wild! I was so happy when they hired him at Feathers, but he never did his kick line. I never understood people who fight their own popularity. I was known for doing comedy on stage and as much as I wanted to be dramatic, I never did because I knew what my audience wanted, even if I didn’t want it. When you are paid by the public, you are owned by the public. Sad, but true.
Today the club is in the responsible hands of Steve Sidewalk, Lady Tita and the magnificent John Rizzo. The three of them keep the place hopping and have resuscitate it to breath the new life of this new millennium. They are constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to bring in the new and satisfy the old! Hats off to anyone who can do that!
So the next time you are dancing know that there are many heroes who made that dance floor jump and have yet to have the dance floor fall!
Till tomorrow, be kind