See Also: • (Photos) Neon Knights at the Meadowlark • Weekend's best dance/party bets: Communikey, Unified Field, Brown Suga Youth Fest • Best of Denver 2012: Best VJ Team Audio Visual Violence Club • Double//Shadow appeals to the weeping romantic in you
For the last year and a half, DJ Shannon von Kelly has been hosting Neon Knights, a monthly dance party where he spins everything from electro and electro house to nu disco and indie remixes at the Meadowlark. About a year ago, Kelly had mentioned the idea of a mural for Neon Knights to Jeromie Dorrance and Mario Zoots of AVVC (aka Audio Visual Violence Club, who earned a nod in this year's Best of Denver issue).
Last month, Dorrance got the green light from the building's owner across the street from the Meadowlark, and he and his friend Ryan Romero started work on the mural with Zoots, who did the lettering. Tonight at the Meadowlark, Kelly is throwing a special dance party , with DJs Tyler Snow and Matthew Brown celebrating the completion of the mural.
In addition to Neon Knights, Kelly is also teaming up with James Yardley (of Snake Rattle Rattle Snake) to kick off Night Drive on Saturday, May 12 at the Beauty Bar. Yardley has spinning for the monthly Double//Shadow parties over the last year and a half with James Holden (of Astra Moveo), but when Holden moved to Los Angeles, he passed the torch onto Kelly. Kelly says Neon Knights and Double//Shadow will be presenting Night Drive as a team.
"We decided to step up and try something new," Kelly says. "It's similar to things we have been doing, but it's a new combination. I think I kind I want to take things a little heavier [direction] than the electro vein, towards the end of the night. A lot of the heavier stuff seems to push people away a little bit. The bigger room, it would be nice to rock it out a little harder."
Kelly says Yardley wants to take things to the next level and that he's excited to do more mixing, rather than just selecting tracks. A nod to its name, Night Drive will essentially be like a soundtrack for a night drive, Kelly notes, with a little bit of mystery and unknown to build a little more excitement.
The Neon Knights mural party kicks off at 9:30 p.m. at the Meadowlark. There's a $5 cover, and AVVC will be handling the visuals.
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