MooseBox Rocks

By Tony Peregrin in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 22, 2010 5:40PM

MooseBox—one of the leading underground dance parties you haven’t heard of—has quietly become one of the top go-to destinations for gays and their music-lovin’ pals. A collaboration between “Moose” (Marc Moder) and DJ VoxBox (Nevin Hersch), MooseBox events typically feature iconic artists pitted against each other (think: Kylie vs. Madonna), with the crowd battling it out on the dance floor to determine the “winner.”

“It’s funny, but at the time we started this, about a year ago, the only club doing anything similar was Berlin,” says Marc Moder, 41, a music columnist for Nightspots. “Everyone else was following formulas based on DJs and not on themes. We’re getting away from a DJ culture and back to more of a feel, a mood—and it’s worked very well for us. Now we see tons more clubs trying similar themes. It’s nice to see.”

MooseBox dance parties—held monthly at Wild Pug—are among the Uptown bar’s most popular events and a key part of the bar’s programming, especially considering that the owners of Wild Pug—after an uneven couple of years in business—are seeking an infusion of cash to pay off debt and upgrade the facility.

“Like any new business, you have your road blocks,” says co-owner Steve Milford. “We opened about 9 months behind of schedule (thanks, City of Chicago), and then when we did open, it was one of the worst economic recessions of our country's history. In a nutshell, we were screwed from the get-go. However, our business has increased by 40 percent over this past year, but that said, we are also taking a realistic look at the business. We need an investor…to help us ride out the uncertain future. Events like MooseBox nights are huge! These two guys are great promoters and always bring in a big crowd, and boy, do they like to drink!”

Chicagoist caught up with Marc “Moose” Moder as he prepares for this week’s MooseBox event, Moosebox Presents: Annie Lennox & Eurythmics vs. Boy George & Culture Club.

Chicagoist: You’re behind the DJ booth at a typical MooseBox event: Describe what you see.

Marc Moder: Well, Wild Pug is technically a gay bar, but our events have always been a mixed crowd. Because we cater to music lovers and a wide style, and not necessarily a typical gay bar sound, our crowd varies—much like the [now defunct] Lakeview Broadcasting Company, or Big Chicks back in the day. But I can honestly say—you’ll always be surprised at who’s there when you walk in the door.

C: Talk about how word-of-mouth and online social networking have been a big factor in generating buzz around MooseBox events.

MM: Back in my old job, as an events coordinator for a book chain, it was all about press releases, newsletters, and flyers. Now, with Facebook and Twitter, I can reach thousands of people with a click and keep them hungry for it on a daily basis with updates, videos, mp3s and teasers. They get to watch the creative process as we do it. And in turn, we hear feedback, requests, and suggestions prior to the event.

C: You co-host these events with Nevin Hersch—describe your role versus his.

MM: I’m kind of a bulldozer when it comes to music, the guy that always provides the soundtrack to your life whether I’m in your car, at work, at your fundraiser, or just at a house party. I’m always the puppet master. But I’m not technically skilled like [Nevin Hersch] is. So, we come up with concepts and playlists together, and meet once a month to organize and sync-up. He takes the music and gets it ready and does the graphics. And I sell it to Chicago. Then at the parties, he gets the DJ end, and I get to have the fun part of hosting and keeping the party moving while constantly consulting on the musical progression of the night.

C: Talk about the event unspooling this Friday—MooseBox Presents: Annie Lennox & Eurythmics vs. Boy George & Culture Club. How did you arrive at this pairing?

MM: It started out, actually, as Duran Duran vs. Culture Club but there was no hook to it. Then I came across an old Newsweek with Annie Lennox and Boy George on the cover, and I started to think about the correlations: both Brits broke through as androgynous artists in 1983 with huge MTV hits, both fell out with their bands and had decent solo success, and both have some great remixes. And both have HUGE followings in the gay community.

C: What’s up next for MooseBox, Version 2.0? In a perfect world, if you had unlimited resources, what would be the perfect MooseBox Event?

MM: We’ll still be doing what we’re doing. Nothing’s changing right now with our resident gig, but we are starting to work together more to get side gigs and charity events. We’re basically just keeping it fun and working for the music lovers. As long as it’s fun for us, and we’re getting great feedback and getting fans to meet and talk and dance, we’ll keep-on.

MooseBox Presents: Annie Lennox & Eurythmics vs. Boy George & Culture Club, Sept. 24th, 9:00 pm—2:00 am, Wild Pug, 4810 N. Broadway.