Vote No dance party benefit coming to the Bolt

By Jen Boyles Tue., Oct. 9 2012 at 3:00 AM

Categories: Electronic Music

SYSTEM promoter Mike Gervais is throwing a Vote No! benefit at The Bolt

This Friday local promoter Mike Gervais hosts a Vote No! House Invasion party featuring some of the city's finest house DJs at the Bolt Underground. (Full disclosure: One of them is my fiancé.) The event attempts to bridge the gap between the long disconnected EDM scene and the gay club circuit on their own turf, and offers a great place to align in solidarity for the cause of freedom to marry regardless of sexual identity.

This club on Washington Avenue was known solely as a gay bar up until recently, when the house and techno scene took up roost in the appropriately dungeon-esque basement. At the helm of every second and fourth Friday, Gervais re-birthed his his SYSTEM night at the Bolt when First Avenue took it off the schedule at the Record Room.

DJ Dirty McKenzie

Partnering with Minnesotans United for All Families, Gervais hopes to raise money for the Vote No campaign with the majority of cover charge proceeds going directly to MNUnited.

"We'll have a team onsite to help with the event and connect people to volunteer opportunities," Gervais says. "It's not often we get the opportunity to have a great time dancing and at the same time stand up for a basic human right."

As for the musical backdrop for the event, SYSTEM will showcase a "House Invasion" lineup, a fitting genre considering its strong roots in the gay scene. Leading the bill is one of the city's most veteran DJs, Dirty McKenzie (you might also know him as DJ Apollo, Ralph Laurenn, or just plain Dory) and House Proud promoter and Celebrity Records owner Bryan Gerrard. City Pages contributor and one-half of the Sexbotz Ian Traas will also spin a special birthday set, preceded by original Steppers Alliance DJ and former First Avenue resident, Matt Veloce.

Longtime Bolt patron and community business owner Lee Pepper lent a hand to promote the night and help unite the two scenes that have maintained separate posts at clubs throughout the city for too long. He said he had "one of the best nights of his life" dancing in the Bolt basement for one of Gervais's new SYSTEM Fridays and noticed the gay scene was sadly absent.

"I want to change that. I want to see the my community come and support this cause," Pepper said. "Marriage is a lot like good music, after all. Both are from the heart, both are about the freedom of expression, and when you are in love with either, it's amazing."

Click here to see the Facebook invite.