Although West Palm Beach's Respectable Street has been around for 27 years, its weekly party, Flaunt, is barely reaching puberty. So now seems like as good a time as any to corrupt it with one hell of a birthday party.
Flaunt’s ten-year anniversary party is happening tonight, April 2. It will be a bash filled with music, booze, and — of course — copious amounts of dancing. South Florida bands and musical guests Sweet Bronco and Chaucer will provide the evening's soundtrack. Sweet Bronco will be performing a set of delicious ’70s covers from the likes of the Velvet Underground, Television, and Talking Heads. “We wanted to have bands play that were friends of ours, so it really felt like a party,” says Ates Isildak, band booker for Respectables. “Sweet Bronco are cool dudes with a good band, and we were especially excited when they mentioned they'd been messing around with a cover set of all our favorite bands.”
Chaucer is the new project of Tight Creeps band member Josh Simkowitz, made up of bandmates from various South Florida musical groups. Both Chaucer and Sweet Bonco have been involved with Flaunt from the beginning, so it's fitting the two bands will help bring this party full circle.
The Pabst Blue Ribbon girls will also be in attendance, handing out free PBR swag. The night's drink specials include $3 vodka cranberries, $3 Flaunt shots, and $2 PBR. In case you haven't figured it out yet, this is really a night you do not want to miss.
Flaunt is also currently holding a new logo contest to replace the ghost it’s used for the past ten years, so send in your best doodle to [email protected]. The winner will be chosen Thursday night.
Flaunt started as two separate parties: an indie night at Deluxe in Delray Beach and Television Club at Respectable Street. It wasn’t until around 2007 that the two parties merged to create Flaunt, the Thursday party we all know and love today.
DJ JJ Richters, who helps provide the music for Flaunt, says he never expected the party to explode the way it did.
“There'll always be people who want to feel comfortable being themselves and not listen to ten Pitbull songs in an hour,” says Richters. “All we had to do was create a welcoming environment for everyone and stick with our commitment to underground music, and then everything worked out.”
How does it make Richters feel to be celebrating ten years of Flaunt? “Old,” he says. “When I first started going to Flaunt, many 21-year-olds were in middle school.”
If you are 21, get your butt out to Respectables this Thursday to support this long-running West Palm legacy. And, of course, to make JJ Richters feel old.
Flaunt 10 Year Anniversary Party, April 2, 11 p.m., at Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Entry is free.
