The DJ Rollie D Story

It was October of 1999, and the world was getting ready to either turn a new millennium and century, or freaking out thinking that Y2K was going to shut down all of our computers and drop planes from the sky.  I wasn't really thinking about either of those, as I was a carefree two-year old who had no idea of how cruel and unpredictable the world was just yet. But one thing was for sure, and that was that I had a little sister just entering the world.  Though I was originally supposed to stay with the cabin neighbors when Lydia was born, I ended up coming down with my parents, and being at St. Mary's in Duluth when it all happened.  Somewhere around my childhood home (not handy for this post sorry), one of us has a picture of all four of us together with my mother holding Lydia as she came into the world and me just sitting there all happy and smiling, my father standing off to the side with a calculating look as my sister was just getting acclimated to the world....

It's getting close to Prom season here in the Midwest, and soon guys and gals will be getting glammed up to go out to some restaurant or ski chalet.  Hearts will be broken, the punch may or may not be spiked, and the decorations will look amazing. For me, I've personally DJed more proms than I have attended.  Being front and center for multiple dances like that gives you an opportunity to see what works and what doesn't when it comes to music.  Back when I was still DJing proms, the crowd hits seemed to be anything from the newest rappers to the Top 40 hits of the time, which came from artists like Taylor Swift (Shake It Off), Mike Posner (I Took A Pill In Ibiza), DJ Coolsnake and Lil Jon (Turn Down For What), and even Maroon 5 (Animals or Sugar).  Listing off all these songs that were hot three to four years ago makes me feel old in comparison to my actual age.  The attendees would always run to the dance floor when any of these songs were played. ...