Well, fancy seeing you land on this page! What is there to do this month? I’ve been wondering that myself. So, I’ve taken the liberty to go find that out for you. There is so much fun stuff to do this month that it’s going to be really hard to hit everything up—I’ve covered the basic party places that you need to be. The next time you think about sitting on the couch watching reruns of Arrested Development on Netflix instead of going out because there is “nothing to do”, check out this guide.
Wick-It The Instigator
There are no words to describe how DJ Wick-It handles a crowd. He doesn’t just DJ and play music. He massacres the crowd, scrambles their brains, and completely owns the dance floor. That’s a good thing—he’s got a lot of stage presence and street cred to boot. His skills have taken him to crazy levels and have even scored him a mash-up project with The Black Keys and Big Boi of Outkast. He also is playing the second annual Pretty Lights Music Illumination Festival in Nashville this month, so this is a perfect opportunity to catch him before he blows up even further. This is not your typical DJ that just plays one particular genre of music. Wick-It spans across genres and combines elements of hip-hop, rock, and bass music in ways that no other producer has touched.
JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK St. Thursday, October 6 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. 21+, $5 cover www.wickittheinstigator.tumblr.com
Sol Sessions—Legacy of Fela
Sol Sessions is one of my favorite nights in town when I can get a bunch of my friends together who have nothing to do on a Thursday night. This is an exploratory music adventure for me as SelectaK7, Flux 308, and 789 take the crowd through so many different spectrums of global music. This week, the crew explores the legacy of Fela Kuti’s music and paint a palette of music for your ears touching upon the shades of Afrobeat, Afrorock, and funk music. What’s so fun about this night is that it’s free, so it’s super-easy to convince friends to come with and the drinks are amazing at The Social.
The Social, 1110 Market Street Thursday, October 6 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. 21+, Free admission
Baby Baby
Baby Baby is an amazing indie band from Atlanta that has played in town before with our hometown heroes, Machines Are People Too. This is their first headlining show in Chatty, and boy, do they deserve it. Baby Baby delivers high-energy shows that force you to get down and rage as hard as you can. With tracks like “Fire” that get you up and dancing in seconds, whenever I go to a Baby Baby show I seriously have some awesome fun. You can stream all the band’s tracks on their myspace page and check out what the hype is about.
JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. Saturday, October 8 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. 21+, $7 cover www.myspace.com/babybabylovesyou
The Psych Factory with DJ Excel
I feel as though this is one of Chattanooga’s best-kept secrets so far. The Crash Pad is a hostel where travelers from all over the nation can stop by and rest up. Every now and then, it’s also a place where we can all party at their pavilion. Their outdoor shows are great and always have an atmosphere that is out of this world and guess what? The acts that this little hostel has been bringing to Chattanooga are actually world-class! I have to give this place big props for bringing in people like Sammy Bananas, who resides on Fool’s Gold records with people like A-Trak and Chromeo. DJ Excel is no different with DJ Jazzy Jeff saying, “He’s one of the few true DJs left in the world. He is the ‘Philly DJ sound’ that everyone talks about. Ex is one of the few DJs that I’ve played a 4 turntable set with.”
The Crash Pad, 29 Johnson Street Saturday, October 8 9 p.m. – 2 a.m. 21+, $5 cover
The Cadillac Saints with Alabama Shakes & Bohannons
If rock and blues is more of your thing, then stop by JJ’s on the 15th to catch what is one of the best line-ups in a long while. The Cadillac Saints have busted their tails and paid their dues. They are coming into their own in the music scene and have some amazing songwriting abilities. The Alabama Shakes were in Chattanooga last month with Drive-By Truckers and had nonstop positive reviews from everyone who went to the show—they are worth seeing. Add these guys in with the legendary Bohannons, and you have yourself the formula for one of the best deals in town. Highly recommended for a laid-back night.
JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. Saturday, October 15 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. 21+, $7 cover www.facebook.com/thecadillacsaints