{image1} On the first Saturday of every month, tucked away in a cave in Riverwest, Milwaukee's wackiest gather for what just might be the city's best-kept dance party secret.
Appropriately dubbed "Get Wacky," the monthly event beckons everyone to the dance floor for an evening of unabashed move busting and crazy get-down inside the General Store, a store and gallery located at 824 E. Locust St.
The General Store, owned by Tyson Reeder, is designed to resemble the inside of a cave, and in many ways, the "Get Wacky" parties parallel their environment by encouraging what is notably primal in us: our physical reaction to sounds and rhythms and our innate inclination to move our bodies to a beat.
Within the walls of this cave two Milwaukee DJs, Fred Dintenfass (a.k.a. Big Squeeze) and DJ Juiceboxxx Von PartyZone, provide hours of nonstop dance music, be it funk, crunk, dancehall or disco, for the crowd.
"Six months ago Juice and I decided to fight wackness with wackiness," says Dintenfass, who insists that the pivotal element separating a wacky evening from a wack one is dancing. Since then, the event has only grown. "The crowd is wacky, the space is small, and the dreams are big," says Juiceboxxx.
Both DJs agree that creating an outlet for people to comfortably reduce their inhibitions and just have fun is crucial to their party's success. "At 'Get Wacky' there is no spectating, there is no dipping your toes in the water, there are no drink specials," says Dintenfass. "It's about music and dancing and carving out a space where people can let loose and get down."
The "Get Wacky" agenda, Juiceboxxx says, is laid out in its name. The "just go with it" mentality keeps the evening spontaneous and fresh. "People dance for hours. They bust moves they didn't even know they had," says Dintenfass. "As a DJ that's very rewarding."
Each "Get Wacky" night is loosely based on a theme that changes from month to month, and those who adhere to the theme's costume criteria are able to benefit from a reduced rate of $3 (otherwise $5). Pervious themes include "carnival vs. carnivore," "dress as your favorite musical artist," and "bullfighting."
"We want people to make a commitment to being there, and that is part of what the costume theme is all about. But we also want to give people as much as possible because we appreciate the amazing effort they put forth when they come." According to the DJs, admission includes merchandise give-outs that are specific to the night's theme. One might also assume that the costumes work as an added component to the sheer wackiness of it all.
For now, it appears, "Get Wacky" remains one of Milwaukee's hidden gems, maintaining a select, but loyal, following. But Dintenfass and Juiceboxxx don't necessarily want to keep it that way. "We don't want to be doing anything exclusive. We want the rest of Milwaukee to get wise and get wacky so we can dance all the time and not just once a month."
The DJs say that they are in the process of creating the "Get Wacky Mixtravaganza" CD so people will be able to get wacky at any time and any place. "We want people to dance because it feels good and it's good for you. At its heart, 'Get Wacky' is a mind set and we want everyone to dream it."
The next "Get Wacky" is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6, starting at 9 p.m. The theme is "dress as your favorite foliage or grillable object."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
