COLUMN: Country

I love a good challenge.

Okay, that's a lie. I hate challenges. By their very nature, they're, well, challenging. I'd much rather coast through life doing precisely what I want to do and having no obligations or challenges whatsoever. Of course, it's pretty tough to get someone to pay you for that sort of lifestyle, unless your last name is Kardashian or you're that one guy in Depeche Mode who doesn't actually do anything but stand on stage and try (and fail) to look cool.

Instead, like most everyone, I'm sidled with responsibilities. Bills to pay, chores to postpone, and jobs to work. Luckily, thus far in life I've been able to land jobs that I actually like. As many of you know, I actually have THREE.

Nothing beats the hustle and bustle of a newspaper office and working alongside a devoted staff dedicated to bringing you decidedly NON-fake news and advertising. On the weekends, you can often find me behind the counter at Moline's Co-Op Records, which was kind of a no-brainer since I hang out there all the time regardless. And on Friday and Saturday nights, you can usually find me sweating away in some DJ booth, sacrificing my hearing for the good of a dancefloor. 

Some might think I'm getting too old to play records for people half my age. All I can say is come dance and let me try to prove you wrong. DJing's been a passion of mine since high school, and that passion hasn't subsided. I love it when strangers talk to me about something I wrote in the paper. I love spending time with fellow music nerds at the record store arguing over the best albums of all time. But nothing -- and I mean NOTHING -- beats that moment when you drop JUST the right song at JUST the right time to send a dancefloor over the edge. I know I'm just pressing play on someone else's song, but for those few seconds, it's the closest this chubby dork will ever come to feeling like a rock star.

But just because I like a job doesn't mean it's free of challenges. I'm sure a lot of you think the "art" of DJing is little more than button-pushing a stereo, but I could spend the rest of this column talking about tempos, floor control, blending, mixing, syncing, beat juggling, and DJ theory (there really is such a thing.) Don't worry, I won't. Suffice to say there's a lot more to it than just pressing play. If you're NOT a music geek, you might not recognize when you're in a club with a good DJ, but I'll guarantee you'd notice when you suffer through a bad one.

Right now, I'm facing the biggest DJ challenge of my life -- and so far, it's been nothing but fun. As I mentioned last week, I've got a new gig in the District of Rock Island. This is nothing new for me -- I spent over a decade running the music mix at one of the District's most popular clubs. I'm used to the late night crowds and controlled chaos. But there's one teeny tiny difference this time around.

I'm DJing at a country bar. Challenge, thy name is Shane. Yee-haw?

I'm not exactly your stereotypical country music enthusiast. I've never worn a cowboy hat or a shiny belt buckle. I don't have friends in low places. All my rowdy friends are NOT coming over tonight. I am NOT rednecker than you. I do not believe we are currently making America great again. I fit in a country bar like a vegan at a barbecue.

But here's the thing. I don't look like a hip-hop DJ, either, but that doesn't matter when I'm at a club. At home, I listen to mopey pale Brits who sing about disillusionment and depression. But DJ Shane has no time for Radiohead and remorse. I'll play anything that gets feet moving and floors swelling. I'll play "Baby Shark" if I have to. I might not be a country guy, but I can BE a country DJ.

Heck, I'd probably have an easier time if it was all country on our playlist. But here's where the REAL challenge lies: The club I'm working at has country bands lighting up the stage until midnight. Then I take over, and we proudly switch to what DJ's call "open format." You might call it "anything goes." You want country? You betcha. You want hip-hop? I'll play it. Rock? No problem. Thumping techno? Yessir. Some vintage 80s gems? My specialty. Disco? Dare me. Basically we specialize in party music, regardless of genre.

The challenge is finding the perfect balance to make fans of all music genres happy. The challenge is figuring out a sexy way to mix Luke Bryan into Rihanna into AC/DC into Lizzo. The challenge is still all about dropping JUST the right song at JUST the right time to make a crowd full of cowboys, college kids, line dancers and lunatics all feel the party vibe.

So wish me luck, Quad Cities. Better yet, come down to the District, put your musical hangups aside, and come have a blast. I'll do my absolute best to play the most fun songs I can muster. This old DJ's still got a kick or two left in him. So does our mechanical bull. If you need to find me, look for the guy who absolutely does NOT belong. Then watch him hopefully fill that dancefloor. This is MY kind of challenge.