Named “Runner Up, Best Party promoter” in Chicago Reader’s Best of Chicago in 2011, with a Tastemaker Spotlight on Do312, a mention in Time Out Chicago on who throws the coolest queer parties, and newly-crowned by AfterEllen.com as a “celezbian promoter,” Jenae Williams is opinionated, busy, and dauntless.
When the opportunity arose to do a Community Spotlight piece on her, I jumped at the chance because we grew up together, but it wasn’t until we actually sat down in a bar for a few hours that I realized that we’d never done that before. Like, ever.
We talked about MichFest, the loss of LBC and what that means in the community, her secret for being a successful party promoter, and an upcoming must-do event—Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine’s annual Spring Fever party—that she insists is much cooler than it seems.
Angelique: I tried to go on your Facebook page to see what you’ve been up to lately, but it made my head hurt. Let’s talk about some of the many things you’ve got going on, starting with Today’s Chicago Woman Magazine’s annual Spring Fever party (this Friday, 3/22 at the River East Art Center).
Jenae: I think Today’s Chicago Woman is really, really underappreciated in this city. The women that run it, the women that they find for the boards, they have so many connections. If you want to get into any field, if you go to any of their events, I promise there are at least three women there who not only want to talk to you about it, but they want to introduce you to their connections, they want to uplift other women in the community. But it doesn’t get a lot of play—when people think Chicago magazines, they think Time Out and CS.
A: True, but I pick up TCW every once in a while.
J: I love Today’s Chicago Woman! They do this party, maybe twice before now, and the party has just gotten bigger and bigger. They find the top 50 singles in Chicago, ranging in orientation, demographics, age, what they’re looking for…I think the youngest person on the list is 25 and the oldest is 62 or so… It’s really cool, they focus on those singles, and they throw a benefit after the issue that was released in February. It’s going to be really fun! Drinks, dancing, food, and a really big and positive environment to connect and network. I mean, Chicago is small, you find one person and that one person can probably hook you up with the three others you’ve been waiting for your whole life. It’s a good time.
J: Oh my God, come to Fest already!
A: Yeah, probably not my cup of tea. But, tell me about your involvement in the Fest. You, and everyone else I know who goes, really talk it up all the time.
J: There is no real space that really caters to not only grown up women figuring out who they are, but also little girls. Women can come from birth to the age of 99. Little boys can come until they are five, though I might have to double check that number, then they go to their own camp which is just down the road. These kids are running around, hanging out with girls, doing crafts, seeing a bunch of role models. It’s just really nice to see the camaraderie and such an uplifting of female spirits in one place. If only I had somebody when I was twelve, to tell me, “Oh no, you’re fine! There are others like you here.” It’s just a great place to commune and connect.
A: So more networking, but in a different kind of way.
J: Yes, Fest is really what you make it. Networking has been great, especially for me in terms of the musicians that come. We’ve had Sia, JD Samson, God-Des & She…of course the Indigo Girls and Melissa Ferrick.
A: Of course!
J: The music is seven days of amazing. You wake up to somebody’s sound check and you go to sleep to like, a drum circle. You can get away from the drum circle if that’s not your thing, I mean, there are parties. If you just want to go and party and sleep until 7 pm, wake up and eat vegan food and drink beer the rest of the night, that’s fine, too. Do what you want to do. Or you could go to all of the workshops: making dolls, painting in menstrual blood…
A: I’ve so been meaning to do that.
J: It sounds all “woo woo,” but it’s just really fun to not wear a bra and to find it in yourself to wear what you want. Women are just always pitted against each other, as soon as you come out of the womb, you are told that some women are going to be prettier than you, that somebody’s going to get more than you, what are you going to do but fight? So you fight them and you fight yourself and you fight for something. But when you get to Fest, there’s this sense of relief like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders because it’s okay if your boobs aren’t symmetrical, or if you’re short and you think your butt’s too big. Everybody there will celebrate you. If you want to stop a woman in the middle of the road and start crying, she will hold you. It’s the only place where you can fall down and eighteen people will pick you up. Everybody is everybody’s mom and friend. It’s great!
A: The feminist in me wants to participate, but the girl in me that loves luxury and amenities is scoffing at her and wants to stay home.
J: Well, if someone told you there was an outdoor shower in Bali or somewhere, in a hidden alcove and there were trees and lights, you got to see the moon and shower with your loved one under the stars… it’s like that, but not in Bali.
A: All right, all right. I see what you’re saying.
J: It is just woods, but those women put so much work into making it successful and great. People get there like, six months before. Workers start laying the tracks and building the different places. There’s a color tent where only women of color are invited. They have some nights, some dances…it’s just really empowering to go into a place with so many like-minded people and to say, “You know what? This is validating me and it’s validating me on so many levels.”
A: I can imagine that would be validating.
J: And even for those who don’t consider themselves to be feminists who just want to go for the eye candy…I mean, I find myself all year round picking out clothes that will look good with no bra, so I can walk around and be all free.
A: I mean, do you ever really wear a bra? I see you out.
J: I do! I mean, it helps me with the façade of boob that I like to give out. You can thank your mom for giving me my first training bras or whatever.
J: I think we’re just continuing on; the Dirty Girls have been around since 2004. I started this when I was 15 and had a fake ID. We really are at a point now where I do a lot. I don’t put my name on 93% of the things that I do, because I don’t really feel like I need to. You might see a logo tucked in a corner somewhere, but it’s not my first priority. I’m really just about bringing good nightlife and concerts to this city and being more of a connector. I feel like the Dirty Girls have turned from a “we throw parties group” to a “what do you need to throw a better party group.” We have DJs, we have dancers, promoters…we can provide whatever you need to make your party more successful. I’ve started saying that I’m culturally curating instead of promoting. My name doesn’t have to be on it, but I know it’s helping the Chicago scene as a whole.
A: Tell me about Stardust and your longstanding relationship with Berlin.
J: Stardust happened when I was doing LBC for about four years. The bar was closing, which is why LBC stopped. The last party I had, Scott Cramer, who does Cramer PR and Events (who I also work for now), came to me and said he’d started Stardust maybe a month before. Since Berlin was the place to go for after hours anyway—you know, people would go there to make out or whatever and I was going there anyway—it was a natural transition. Stardust has really been amazing. I don’t think a lot of people realize it, but we break artists. If there’s a debut, whether you’ve never heard of somebody, kind of heard of somebody, it’s on your YouTube radar, they’ll be in Chicago, and in the first five months of their popularity, they’ll be at Stardust. And afterwards, we’ll never be able to get them again because they’re too fucking expensive! No really, but it’s cool that we’re able to showcase talent like that, and they do usually remember.
J: [Laughs] Thank you!
A: How did that start?
J: Jenny Shah and I went to LBC when it first opened—she’s in LA now being fabulous and being Jenny…
A: Yeah, I ran into her when I went out there last.
J: Well, she talked to the owner, said she wanted to do a party there, and he said, “Of course.” Honestly, she was the first one to have it and she called it Dirty Girl Thursdays. So two parties happened, and she wanted to go back to Boston. She introduced me to the owner as someone she wanted to take over. It started slowly, then it snowballed, then it tapered off again. But in terms of its success, I think it was the right space, it was the right time, and it was just nice to have something on the strip. Especially when you first got into the city back then, Google was going to tell you to go to Boystown, only for you to find that LBC was the only lesbian party on Halsted. Dollhouse is now at Cuna and that’s super close and really cool. But as far as being on that strip, LBC is still the only one.
A: Any comments on the current state of the lesbian party scene in Chicago?
J: Other than Dollhouse and BBlyss, what is the current state of the lesbian party scene that we can even reference? The CMSA party was huge, but that’s once a year. Did you go to Black Bra?
A: Nope, I was sick and it was far.
J: I think the current state of the lesbian party scene is “confused.” I think part of the reason why LBC was so good was because I had my groups: we had the “gaysians,” we had the “jockbians,” we had the Latinas, we had the glamour dykes, the Goths…we had at least four or five different groups of women represented every Thursday at LBC. It might not have been the same four every week, which was also awesome, but there were always new faces.
A: Agreed, the groups varied quite a bit.
J: Lately, I haven’t been throwing parties that much which are girl-centric, and I definitely don’t want to imply that I’m the only person in the world that can bring together all of these groups, but I feel like I haven’t seen anything like that. Parties tend to be for specific demographics. It’s sad because we’re coming into a time where lesbian and gay is not enough—you have to be gender queer and you have to be fluid. I would honestly get yelled at for suggesting that there is a need for a gender-specific, lesbian party. It’s not inclusive. People think that they don’t need lesbian spaces; if they did, Stargaze would still be open. When I hear that there can’t be one because lesbians don’t support each other, I don’t believe that’s necessarily true. Lesbians are just picky and don’t like the cold. To go outside in this weather, it’s got to be worth it, and no one is really providing a “worth it” factor.
A: No one?
J: Well, there’s Slo ‘Mo. It’s small and I don’t think it’s meant to be a lesbian-specific party. [Kristen] Kaza comes from the old school of throwing a really good party, but I don’t think it’s for girls just because a lesbian is at the helm.
A: Is there anyone in the community that reminds you of yourself? A burgeoning promoter? Male or female.
J: No.
A: Just…”no.” Not at all?
J: Let me put it this way, I am not middle-aged…
A: Well, I should hope not, you’re younger than me and I am NOT middle-aged.
J: What I mean is, career-wise in the world of promotions, I’m middle-aged. I’m definitely not at a place where I feel the need to be handing out fliers, being online all the time, making appearances at everybody’s parties, going out constantly, but that’s the difference between then and now. The difference is in effort and hospitality. If you throw this one party that only caters to “your folks,” then you’re probably also only going to “your folks’” other parties. Every fucking person who promotes a party right now should be supporting the parties of other promoters who don’t throw similar demographic parties, in addition to those that do. If you regularly hang out at T’s and at parties on the south side and downtown, then I’m not talking to you. But, if you don’t… I’ve done this, I’ve been to the black girl parties, I’ve been to the Latina ladies parties, I’ve been to the white girl parties…and I’ve done them all in one week. There is nobody that is getting around the way I was. DJ Kay and I would call them “world tours”: we would look at every party going on that night and make the rounds. Nobody does that now, whether it’s laziness, or “I don’t give a shit,” or “I think I’m better than you and my party is better, too.” I don’t know.
A: Perhaps after all these Jameson shots and drinks we’ve had, I should send this to you to read before it’s posted.
J: [Laughs] Honestly, Angelique, I don’t give a shit. What’s anybody going to do? Call me a liar? They don’t go!
A: Show me some receipts! [Laughs]
J: It’s about being respectful and hospitable. Now there is one promoter that I think can really do it: Tina from Carpe Noctem.
A: Such a cutie! You’re right, I can see that.
J: I don’t think anybody is getting around like they should be. Take note! People go to parties to feel taken care of, otherwise, you’re in a big ass room with drinks and music. You can stay in your living room for that. Have a drink delivered to that person who comes in and is standing by herself; make other promoters feel welcome at your event. That’s how you make the right connections and end up collaborating with people in the future. I went to someone’s party this summer; I took Average Joe, who is a DJ from Brooklyn, some LA DJs, a writer from New York, all visiting. The promoter just said, “Hey!” and kept walking. A brand new promoter at that. I just brought some really important, powerful people, lesbians, to your party and you can’t stop for a minute? And I don’t want free drinks, that’s not what it’s all about, I can afford my own drinks; however, it’s the gesture. I don’t feel welcome on the circuit like I used to.
A: What’s next for you other than Stardust at Berlin and the TCW event?
J: Justin Mitchell (DJ Swaguerrilla) has this hip-hop night at Parlour, and we started talking about what we can do to generate more interest. So we changed the theme, it’s called Unicorn Hustle, a magical place where gays and hip-hop can coexist. It’s like a basement party with good hip-hop and R&B where you can go and dance. It’s once a month, floating dates, always on a Saturday. You can find out more through the Chicago Dirty Girls Facebook page.
Upcoming Event
TCW’s Top Singles Party
Friday, March 22, 2013
7pm / $80 adv, $95 at door / River East Art Center / 435 E. Illinois St.
Meet TCW’s 2013 Top Singles at Spring Fever, the hottest party of the season. Singles and not-so-singles are invited to River East Art Center on Friday, March 22, from 7-10PM. Plan to attend and bring a friend! It is sure to be a fun-filled evening featuring an open bar, food from area restaurants, DJ, dancing, and after party at Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub
To benefit the TCW Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
Click here to purchase tickets.
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About Angelique
Angelique worked in advertising for six years, but quit once they stole her soul. She has been the Marketing & PR Director for Reeling, Chicago’s LGBT International Film Festival, for the last three years. She can currently be seen going out too much and ignoring the stack of books on her floor that she really wants to find the time to read.
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