Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson is set to host two free dance parties at Jackie O’s.
As students gear up for the first weekend of the semester, Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson, an Athens entertainer, is ready to get the party started.
Thompson is kicking off the semester at Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St., on Thursday night for the first monthly Ladies Night since the Union Street fire that occurred on Nov. 16, and is taking the stage again Sunday for a “Free Dance Party with DJ B-Funk.” Both events begin at 10 p.m. and are free.
Originally, the name of the event was “Dj B-Funk’s MLK Day Celebration,” but has since been changed. Despite the event being on a holiday weekend, it is unassociated with the holiday, Thompson said.
Thompson plans on surveying the crowd to play what they want to hear. He is not catering his performance to the holiday by incorporating clips of a speech or related music, although he has seen other DJs do this.
“It’s a touchy thing. Some people have done that and it’s kind of cool,” Thompson said. “I am just not very good at that kind of stuff. I would rather do it right ... Otherwise, it can come off sounding tacky or poor.”
Although Thompson hopes students understand the reason for a day off on Monday, he also is looking forward to throwing a party and playing for an audience after spending most of break making music alone.
“His shows are for anyone who wants to have a good time,” said Chad “Black Rabbit” Vasquez, a local DJ who has attended a variety of Thompson’s shows. “I know since he did Dave Rave, a lot of people have this stigma about it that it’s all dance music. But what he does is what a DJ is supposed to do. He’ll read the crowd and play whatever they’re into.”
For Thompson’s shows, a variety of music can be expected, but the ultimate deciding factor is the crowd. Thursday night has the capability of being an entirely different show than Sunday night depending on how the crowd reacts to certain music, Thompson said.
“When people stop and look around or look at you, you know you’re not playing the right song,” Thompson said. “With being a DJ, I start off with more memorable stuff and people will respond to that.”
In past months, Thompson was joined by Michael “DJ Barticus” Bart for Ladies Night and began calling the monthly event “Back to the Future.” Thompson is playing the venue alone on Thursday, but both DJs hope to do shows again in the future, Bart said.
The past “Back to the Future” nights featured Thompson and Bart on opposite sides of the venue, Thompson said. Bart would play older styles of music while Thompson focused on the “future side of music.”
“You can just change the channel between two different DJs and two different moods at the same time and carry one drink from one side to the other without having to pay a different cover,” Bart said.
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