I started DJing in Columbus, Ohio, because when I moved up there for my MFA, I couldn’t find the kind of dance party that met my needs — i.e., a dance party with garage-pop-psych-soul-funk music from 1957-1974 on vinyl. (My needs are very specific.) At the beginning, I had only a few of my dad’s old records, and a friend (Chris Johnson) who was a punk and proto-punk record collector with a fine at-home turntable set-up, and a graphic designer/drummer (Adam Scoppa) I’d just met playing bar trivia who claimed that it had been his dream for two years to start a Motown dance party. This motley crew formed HEATWAVE!, which went over like gangbusters with the Columbus crowd. We used to do theme parties four times a year, including an annual prom night, but when I moved back home the guys stuck to playing records rather than party-planning. I extended my stay in Columbus to make it to HEATWAVE! on March 8 and the guys decided to designate it as prom night in my honor. These dudes were two of my best friends in Columbus; DJing with them opened up a whole new aspect of the city to me; and it was wonderful to see and play with them again. Here are some pics from Megan Leigh Barnard, photographer extraordinaire. (Lots more here and here.) The party happens on the first Saturday of every month at a bar called Ace of Cups, run by the incomparable Marcy Mays.