All good things must come to an end or get shut down by the police. That’s the rule right? Well tonight something that has at times gone from good to great and back the other way is coming to an end. The fluctuating success and debauchery had inside the walls of Old Ironsides on a Tuesday night for the last 11 years has meant one thing. LIPSTICK. A dance night at a bar that one would never think to host a dance night. Two DJs who’s musical selection sometimes seems as polar opposite as it can be and over a decade of crowds that have come and gone. Somehow this has all worked for a long time and now that Resident DJs and founders of the night Shaun Slaughter and Roger Carpio have decide to bring it to a close it seems like everyone is making their way out one last time to show appreciation to a night that has always been there for them.
Personally I have gone to Lipstick for half of it’s lifespan and there I’ve met some really amazing people. Friends of friends who would come out to enjoy a good drink poured by my favorite bar tender in Sacramento (yeah I’m talking about Art…. Gonzo is rad. but Art is the effin man!) and by the end of the night we were all dancing and cheering together. I’ve also been to Lipstick on those down nights where I wonder where the people who packed the room the weeks before disappeared to and on those nights I realize that through thick and thin they keep the night going. Until today. It’s not a huge surprise when you look at the sheer number of dance events that now crowd the week and the caliber of dance nights Roger and Shaun have been putting on lately. I am sad to see it go mostly because I just moved down the street and it would have been an easy place to get drunk and walk home from but also because of the nostalgia involved. I got Shaun on the interweb monopoly also known as Facebook and gave him some questions about Lipstick and the future (he’s also a psychic).
Michael Calero (B^5): So by the count on your facebook event page it looks like this last Lipstick is going to go out with a bang. Did you picture it ending like this?
SHAUN SLAUGHTER: Not sure how I pictured it ending or if it ever would. I just think that it’s gotten to a point where I think we’ve done all we can do with it as a weekly and i’m ready to move on. Music has changed and (as it always has) the crowd has changed. I definitely wanted to end it while it was still relevant and I think we’ve done that.
Michael Calero (B^5): Last year you celebrated the 10 year anniversary of Lipstick which is a really unheard of thing for Sacramento dance nights, what about lipstick made have such longevity?
SHAUN SLAUGHTER: Well now we’re on to 11 Years which is nuts. I’ve spent my whole adult life at Lipstick. (Yikes) I think what’s given it such a long life is our commitment to always play stuff we LOVED and felt had a classic feel to it and our common thirst for all things rad and new. Both of us aren’t really genre specific DJs or music listeners and I think that has always sort of given us an edge as far as what we bring to the table.
Michael Calero (B^5): Lipstick at one point was pretty much the only legitimate indie dance night in Sacramento. What do you think about the scene now where it is almost oversaturated with dance events?
SHAUN SLAUGHTER: Well I mean the good stuff will stick and the other stuff will wash away right? I mean, I remember a couple years back bitching (as I often did/do) to a friend about all these DJs trying to reinvent the wheel and bitching that the current crowd didn’t know the difference and basically he asked me that when people look back on their 20s or early adult lives, would they remember all these 6 month old parties, knock-offs etc or remember the ones that stuck to their guns and rode out the storm. I think that still holds true to the parties around today. You can’t expect every project to be an overnight success but if you believe in what your doing that’s what’s gonna shine through right? Too hippy?
Michael Calero (B^5): There are obviously rumors and things about what’s next for you guys. Anything you care to elaborate on?
SHAUN SLAUGHTER: I will say that due to the overwhelming response of people generally bummed out about us shutting down, we are planning something special.
Michael Calero (B^5): Both of you have your own respective projects and nights that you do and there is something I’ve always noticed. Shaun you seem to bring in some of the most legitimate DJs from around the country and Roger via his Record Club promotions puts on shows with some of the best bands from out of town and within Sacramento. How did you guys end up attracting artists to Sacramento and who do you want to see play here sooner than later?
SHAUN SLAUGHTER: Drugs, Money and Sex.
I want to see Juan Maclean of DFA records come and play. Oh wait, we just booked him April 7th at Mix. We also are working on Classixx for the following month and Light Year later this year. ♥
Michael Calero (B^5): Do you think Lipstick will surface again as a weekly dance night down the road?
No I don’t see that happening.
COME OUT TO OLD IRONSIDES ON S AND 10th TONIGHT AND RIDE THIS ONE OUT WITH US (and by that I mean have sex…. just kidding….sort of)
