Promoters bring the 'Dirty South' party experience to New York
theGRIO REPORT - 'Dirty south' parties -- loud music, abundant dancing, call and response -- are a staple for any state south of the Mason Dixon line...
Even with the imagery. We look at every photo that we post. Every photo that the photographer takes, we make sure that the photos we put up put people in a positive light. And with every album we post, we also post a disclaimer that if there is a photo up there that you don’t like, then we will take it down, and we do. ‘Cause it’s not really about that. It’s about having a safe place that you can come and get loose and kick it. We all went to black colleges and [from] that first party, in planning it, it was really about … remembering what it was like to pay $5 and … [to] wear your sneakers and your jeans and just have a good time.
MS: And its cool … the raw energy of the party. It seems … like organic. Everyone is being themselves and just being free and not worrying about what the next person is thinking. It’s about the music too. I don’t want to get to deep. Its almost like a tribal feeling. We’re all huddled up in this one area and we’re all vibing to the same music and feeding off each other’s energy and giving each other energy.
What’s been the biggest moment for you so far?
AS:Â The first party to me was the biggest moment because it was so much fun. It was so unexpected how raw it was. That moment was so new to me that it felt that it was the most exciting time for me because it was in its beginning stages and it very raw and organic how it popped off.
ERIKA: I agree. The first party was the biggest moment for me too. That was the first inkling that this is definitely something bigger than the three of us. And I remember … the next week and a half we were all kind of amazed by what had happened and really moved by it. .. After every party we debrief, and we said at that moment this is about “Grits & Biscuits.” It not about any individual, this is not about the unit. It’s about the event and it’s not about the money. I think that we kind of laid out our principals at that meeting and I think that has kind of guided us.
I’ve heard that Jay- Z and Beyoncé were at your last party. Can you tell me how that happened?
AS: Well we didn’t invite them. Someone texted us and said that they may be coming, but people do that all the time so we just put our phones back in our pockets, if we responded at all. Its not about celebrities you know. … We are kind of like, almost the antithesis of that . Jay Z and Beyoncé, they’re welcome come. Michelle Obama and Barack — they could come too. But they’re not going to get treated any better than anyone else. There is no VIP in our parties, which means everyone is VIP at our parties. Its fantastic that [celebrities] come. … [and] we give them the same opportunity to get loose without judgment just like everyone else.
What else can we be looking for form E.Z. Mo Breezy?
AS: Well understand that the two parties back to back [this weekend was] in honor of our two year anniversary. The plan is not necessarily to always have two parties back to back, but the point was to do something special for those who supported us, so … this is kind of a “one time, for at least today,” special event. … I think for the future — I said it before [that] this is a blessing in itself, so we just want to be open to receive. We definitely have a vision and we all have careers outside of this party [promotion], and we all have recognized that this has opened doors for us personally and professionally.
ERIKA: We are also looking to continue to take it on the road. We have already been in D.C. twice. We are planning to go back to D.C. We have other cities that have requested it and as we say, we don’t want to leave anyone hungry, so you know, [we] take the Grits & Biscuits to where the people need to be fed.
Your approach seems very simple. Why is that not working for many other promoters?
AS:Â They put themselves before the actual party or [the] people who come and want to enjoy them. I think they try to shine too much. I think that our ability to kind of step to the side and allow everyone to shine and have fun is part of the success that makes our party a good party.
Follow Kyle Harvey on Twitter at @Harveywins
