(Statesman.com) Did you know DJ Mel played Obama’s election party?
Which, election party? In town somewhere?
No, the election party in Chicago, the one we all saw on TV.
Along with the par for the course political wrangling, this side conversation spun through Austin’s social media networks in the immediate aftermath of election night 2012. The jubilant crowd dancing at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago was breaking it down to the sounds of one of Austin’s top party rockers.
“It was kind of a big deal,” Mel Cavaricci said, describing his surprisingly nonchalant response to landing the gig when we caught up with him Thursday night. Back in town for less than 24 hours, he was finishing up a day in the office at the massive local production house C3 Presents where he works as a talent buyer. In addition to DJ gigs around town including his well-loved Rock the Casbah series and a hip-hop weekly at Nasty’s that’s been running for over 15 years, he helps out with electronic dance music and DJ stages at festivals like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. This particular DJ gig dropped in his lap a few days before Election Night. He’d spun at the California Democratic convention a year ago and Democratic National Convention earlier this year. He has a friend who worked for Obama who was pulling for him to play the big event. On the strength of his two prior political performances he was hired.
Though he thought it was ‘pretty awesome,’ he didn’t freak out. It was just another gig. “My buddy called me and was like ‘Are you interested in coming to Chicago?’ And I was just like, ‘Yeah, sure man. No biggie, I’m there.’”
The magnitude of the event didn’t...
Find out what DJ Mel's setlist after the JUMP
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