Arts & Entertainment

A fond farewell

Gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel bring Blowoff to close

Published

13 years ago

January 15, 2014

Joey DiGuglielmo

Blowoff is going on indefinite hiatus after Saturday night’s 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.us

Blowoff, a monthly gay dance party helmed by DJs Richard Morel and Bob Mould, started innocuously. The two were collaborating on a project — a 2006 album called “Blowoff” — and finding themselves at the time both living in Washington, the concept was born.

That was 11 years ago.

“We just kind of said, ‘Why don’t we do a party?,’” Morel says. “He had just moved to town. It was really pretty simple. We started at Velvet Lounge on Sunday nights once a month. That’s how it began.”

Saturday night’s event, planned as usual for the January installment to coincide with Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend, will be the duo’s last. There’s no grand proclamation about it being the “last ever,” 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.

“It’s been a very successful event and very personally gratifying and fun and it’s done very well, but after 11 years, we both have other projects right now,” Morel says. “So we’re just taking a break for awhile. Who knows what might happen down the road in a year or two, but for now, we’re focusing on other projects.”

Mould, who is traveling this week and wasn’t available for comment, is known widely for his work with the bands Husker Du and Sugar. He’s released a series of well-received solo albums, most recently 2012’s “Silver Age.” 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 — the two took turns spinning for about an hour at a time. Nick Lopata created the party’s 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.

“The music was different, the atmosphere was different and the visual effects were unheard of for the D.C. market,” he says. “I admire that they were able to create a party with a room full of gay men and no attitudes. That’s pretty unusual.”

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 club’s 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.

“It’s always music that just makes you feel good,” Pring says. “He’s a creative genius.”

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For the mystery fan who likes a sprinkle of thriller, look for “The Longest Death” by Kevin Jagernauth (Soho Crime, December). Richard Cobson hates his small town, he’s bored and desperate to get away. Stealing from his employer is the only thing that makes life bearable. That all changes when Marlon Montgomery comes to town and the two fall in love because if one guy can steal so easily, what can two do?

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Also try “Diana: The Punk Singer Who Ripped Through Time” by Nate Powell (Abrams ComicArts, October). It’s about a young woman who’s trying desperately to escape her past, until a mysterious murder sidetracks her plans.

So you say you’re a romantic at heart? Then look for “Unspeakable Things: A Novel” by Elizabeth Hand (Little, Brown & Company, October). It’s a story set in the 1920s, when two young women arrive in the English Countryside to a dark and ancient manor. But, of course, nothing in a Gothic novel is easy, right? And you’ll love this tale.

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So this upcoming year is going to be one of exploration, right? Then look for “Free Love: Adventures in Marriage and Polyamory” by Michelle Tea (HarperOne, November). It’s a well-researched, personal, and interesting look at the lives of polyamorous couples and what it’s like to live what used to be called an “alternative” lifestyle.

If “fall” says “biography” to you, then look for “Showbiz! My Life as a Middle-Aged Man” by Murray Hill (Gallery Books, October). For decades, Hill has been making audiences laugh with his signature humor, but getting laughs hides his past all too well. He grew up in an abusive family and learning to hone his talents took some ingenuity. If you’re not a Hill fan yet, you will be, once you read this book.

For the reader who’s searching for a spiritual place, “Reading the Bible Through Queer Eyes: Good News for LGBTQ+ People from Genesis to Revelation” by podcasters Brian G. Murphy and Shannon T.L. Kearns (HarperOne, December) might help. Here, the authors look deeply at Scripture to find the queerness that’s there, proving to readers that the Word is not always what it seems.

Young readers may want to check out “Bitter Pill: Randy Shilts and the Dawn of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic” by Clement Xavier, illustrated by Heloise Cochois, foreword by Michael Lee (Abrams ComicArts, November). It’s a highly researched true story of activist Shilts, but also of Harvey Milk, and the earliest days of the AIDS crisis, when gay men needed a loud voice to advocate for them.

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Be aware that publication dates change, titles change, books can be canceled, and your librarian or favorite bookseller can help you find what you need. Season’s readings!