Interview with THE HUMAN JUKEBOX

Happy weekend everyone!

By now you're probably aware of The Flashdance, the virtual lovechild of Max Wanger, Our Labor of Love, and DJ Michael Antonia.

A few weeks ago, Curt and I had the chance to meet up with Michael at MILK in West Hollywood and chat about wedding stuff. Mostly we talked about how the blogosphere and the internet in general is changing the landscape of the wedding industry... how there are soooo many more options than there were 10, or even 5, years ago, and how weddings are becoming way more individualized and personal.

Michael is just a really rad guy and I think y'all will appreciate his fresh take on wedding music. Curt and I are beyond thrilled to have him as our DJ, and if you're looking for someone who won't play the same old crappy disco, he might be a good fit for you, too! Just check out the Flashdance website for his contact info.

image from here.

As promised, here's my interview with Michael...



Mason Jar Bride: How did you first discover your talent?

Michael Antonia: trial by fire really... in 98/99 whitney (our labor of love) and i were producing around 100 concerts and club nights a year. some people don't know this but most djs are notoriously late, perpetually stoned, bums...and our opening djs were no exception! since i was doing so many shows i was receiving promo vinyl from a lot of record labels which i would have on hand just in case, many nights i would be the default opening dj. eventually the other djs got what they had coming to them and i stole their job!

MJB: Favorite group or artist you’ve opened for?

MA: it was a big thrill for me to open for Grandmaster Flash. i was honored just to meet him! he started it all! a true pioneer who is still a perfectionist, still buying and playing new music, and still pushing the boundaries of what is conventionally considered hip-hop. i was supposed to do a show with jam master jay but fate fucked that all up... that would have been awesome though.

MJB: How was The Flashdance born?

MA: whitney and i always talked about taking our experience in event production and marketing/advertising and applying it to the wedding industry. we had very unconventional weddings and people were always talking about how much fun they had. we thought that we could bring some of that style to the industry. we dabbled in it for awhile but always had other things going on. then we both had kids and decided that being on the road for months at a time, and working 100 hours a week wasn't as cool as we had always thought it was (but it was pretty rad sometimes!). then we met max and it just seemed like the right time.

MJB: How many albums do you have on vinyl?

MA: oh jeez, maybe ten thousand? i have been collecting since i was nine.

MJB: Name one album you could listen to on repeat for a full 24 hours.

MA: that's easy. bob dylan - blonde on blonde (i've listened to nothing but that album for days in a row. it is a perfect record in every way)

MJB: What's your best piece of advice for brides in terms of music selection?

MA: be yourself! be timeless! there are a million different people telling you a million different songs that are "must plays" or " THE alt wedding song" etc. don't listen to that crap. the most important music to have at a wedding is music that you and your family will love and remember for the rest of your life. some new cool "alt wedding hit" or whatever isn't going to mean anything to you next year let alone in 2047! play music for the whole fam for two hours, then for you and your friends for two hours (grandma is going home after cake, mom is going to be drunk after two hours, and kids love everything...)

MJB: What's your proudest accomplishment?

MA: my little lady.. elodie swan antonia

MJB: What's the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a wedding?

MA: maybe not too crazy, but easily the best thing was shana and her bridesmaids doing a choreographed rendition of beyonce's single ladies dance. http://www.theflashdance.com/index.cfm?postID=115 (there is a link to video of them doing the dance highly suggested!)


MJB: Thank you SO MUCH! You're the best!

MA: NO YOU ARE THE BEST! thank you.



"But wait, there's more!"

Michael sent me a little playlist of five very different songs that, at first glance, look like they'd be a disaster if you put them together. But he puts them together flawlessly. Unfortunately I can't post the mp3 on here (booooo, Blogger...) but since almost-husband uses Wordpress, he can. So hop on over to AUCOTI and listen to the excerpt. It's from a show where Michael opened for N.E.R.D. about 3 years ago. Here are the tracks in the mix:

Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band

Nobody Beats the Biz - Biz Markie

Fame - David Bowie

Shake Ya Ass - Mystikal

Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G.


Michael, thanks again for stopping by MJB!