A Place Where You Can Really Shake 'Em Down

Old music lovers need to shake a leg - to cut a rug - this Sunday at the Second Sunday Sockhop – a monthly dance party at Longbranch Inn (featuring rare, popular and totally danceable) songs from the ‘50s, ’60s and ’70s. This upcoming Sunday is the one year anniversary.

Expect to see records hanging from the ceiling and free mixed CDs, says Westen Borghesi, aka “Shorty Stump.” Weston and the other three DJs (Jim “DJ Magnus” Murphy, Jason “DJ Hucklebuck” Shields and Gabe Vaughn of Second Line Social) have made 150 CDs with their favorite dance songs for the first people to arrive. Each CD has six songs picked by each DJ with five fast ones and a slow jam.

Westen founded the sockhop after going to a similar event in Lawrence, Kansas while on tour with his band, White Ghost Shivers. After an early set, his friend suggested they go to a dance party in a basement of a jukebox bar.

“They played soul 45s all night, and there was talcum powder on the ground,” Weston says. “I just felt like, Austin’s such a great city, and why doesn’t it have something like this?”

Weston called a few DJs with great taste in music a month later, to see if they were interested. Luckily, they were – and after securing a monthly date and coming up with a name, people came just by word of mouth.

What keeps the sockhop unique, Weston says, is the DJs don’t stick to one style of music. The Second Sunday Sockhop DJs throw on wax from Ethiopian rhythms, funk, gospel, Doo Wop – you name it.

“Part of my motivation was I was sick of going to these really shitty hipster ’80s dance parties.”

The sockhop, itself, has evolved and expanding since its inception. First of all, it used to be free, but because the venue couldn’t pay the organizers to put money back into the “sockhop fund,” so a $3 entrance fee was tacked on two months ago. The fund pays for posters, decorations, talcum powder (to dust on the floor for smoother dancing, although Weston is experimenting with something new this time), etc.

Weston hopes to give out special socks soon, making the sockhop a true, well, sockhop. However, Weston adds with great seriousness, everybody needs to follow the sockhop’s only rule: no drinks on the dance floor.

“It happens every time,” Weston says. “Someone inevitably breaks a bottle.” ‘Nuff said. Grab your dancing shoes and go.

[Second Sunday Sockhop Myspace]

Second Sunday Sockhop Sunday, June 10 Longbranch Inn [map] 10 pm - 2 am $3