Transcript

DJ A.J. Fresh · WashCo Insider

speaker-0: You've probably seen his work even if you didn't realize it. When an event just feels right, the music, the lighting, the whole vibe, that's where AJ Brock shines. Better known as DJ AJ Fresh, he runs Fresh Media Group specializing in video, design, drone work, websites, photography, social media, and DJ services that create experiences that people actually remember. AJ Brock, when we come back. So AJ, I don't know if you remember this, but I moved out here to Washington County 16 years ago for a golf tournament. And, you know, it was about this time of the year too. ⁓ We had a fall event and I needed a television commercial and I had a very specific vision in mind of what I wanted. And you were kind enough to let me sit there with you as you edited and put together this TV spot. And I remember it ending up exactly the way I had hoped it would. So it's been quite a while since then. has. So, you know, at that point in 2010, you know, your career had started 15 years before that. How did you get into, you know, the marketing and entertainment world? What did that look like for you? speaker-1: It's been a while. Well, ⁓ for the marketing, I've always kind of been into video and I went to the Art Institute for television and music and thinking I was going to be like ⁓ Dr. Dre behind the boards producing music. But then once I got into a little bit of the television stuff, I really just, you know, loved it. ⁓ DJing, I've always, I've been DJing since ninth grade. Is that right? In high school. Wow. Always kind of was like people had regular jobs, you know, and I was DJing at high schools and birthday parties and thinking, eventually this is going to end and I'm going to get a real job. ⁓ so I kind of kept saying that and it kind of stuck with me and kind of just kept riding it out thinking, OK, well, it's probably I'll probably get this real job. And so I got a real job. I worked at a KDK TV and the creative service department. I worked at WPXI and their creative service department. And then I kind of linked up with some ⁓ local businesses that needed some marketing on the side. So I was kind of doing that. And then it kind of just led into building my own ⁓ marketing business. And it just kind of grew from there. Still DJing at the clubs and all over the place. And it was a great experience. Then again, here we are how many years later and I'm thinking, okay, this is gonna probably wrap up soon. ⁓ I get busier every year, which is great. speaker-0: Yeah. Well, I know ⁓ we've done so many projects together over the years, whether it's TV commercials or concert music. mean, you're doing sound now for concerts. ⁓ But over those years, I mean, we've collected a handful of national tele awards together. mean, when I say handful, I think we've done three together. But I've been to your studio and I've seen the 35 that you've collected over the years. speaker-1: Yes, over the years I've been lucky enough to work with some great companies and organizations and other media outlets to help be a part of some great stuff to produce that won awards. ⁓ speaker-0: I mean, it's always been first class production from my perspective. And it's neat to see somebody like AJ working with, I mean, there so many small organizations, large companies in Washington County. And when you see those commercials, oftentimes you can say, that looks like an AJ shot. One of those, one of those tellies that we shared was just ⁓ last year and it was, it was for Beetle Bar, which is a pop-up bar that we had partnered with. ⁓ We had partnered with the Casino one. We've actually opened three pop-up bars with the Casino in the last 20 months. So we collected one for Beatlebar. Then ⁓ in April of last year, we opened up back to the 80s pop-up bar. And then this past fall, we opened Tipsy Cauldron, which was a Harry Potter-esque pop-up bar. And I think you were DJing at all three of these spots. ⁓ But I know you've been working closely with Kevin Brogan, worked with him back in the day. He's back in town now. I know you were one of his first calls when he got back to Washington County. He's got you working on a project. It's probably time to let the cat out of the bag. What have you been working on? speaker-1: So it was funny, was probably 11 o'clock at night. I was in bed watching TV and I get a text and ⁓ I didn't have ⁓ the numbers or his name saved. Cause he went away, was working at another casino and a few years later I see this text says, hey, let's get a vibe back together. And my message is back, who's this? speaker-0: You speaker-1: And he was like, Kevin Brogan. I was like, all right, let's do it. I didn't have to think about it. It was a quick... And I did hear that he was coming back to the Meadows. So it was a few text messages back and forth. And I'm like, so we met up. And I had smile on my face because as I think of all the places I've played over the years, there's only a handful that just had a blast, know? Just fun. ⁓ Great energy. ⁓ So I'm super pumped to bring Vi back with the Meadows and you guys to get this rolling. speaker-2: We're pretty excited, but we were talking AJ. Chase and I are probably simultaneously the worst and the best people we'll be talking to about a nightclub because Chase, you're not a nightclub guy. speaker-0: I'm not a nightclub guy. So I brought my trusty sidekick. Who is? speaker-2: I'm certified expert. No, I've actually never been to a nightclub. So again, worst person. But I was not around for Vibe, the first iteration. So can you give us a little insight as to what Vibe 2.0 is gonna look like? speaker-1: So initially Vibe didn't start yet. I was there at ⁓ Pacers Lounge. It the first time they had a DJ. There was no dance floor, it was carpet. Margie, was the time in charge of bringing in entertainment, was like, hey, we want a DJ. and it worked so well. And I'm like, people are dancing on the carpet and moving chairs out of the way. And it didn't take long, I think, for Brogan and the casino to say, let's build it. You know, they'll come. so they built Vibe and it was amazing. And every Friday, Saturday, it was just so much excitement and fun. ⁓ And the mix of people are 21 to 70. So it's a casino, so you have ⁓ a vast majority of age groups that come in. And everyone doesn't dance, but a lot of people like to just sit around and watch the people dance, hang out, have some martinis and beers and watch video screens. So I do something a little bit unique in the area of video mashups. So if you just want to hang out and you're not that dancing type to be on the floor, you can hang out, listen to music, and watch. the stuff, you know, so it's kind of cool. speaker-2: I mean, that's why it looks so fun. Like there's different ways to be a part of it. And that's why the venue is so fun. Cause as you were saying, like it's a big melting pot of all those different generations. You can talk to different people, meet all these different people that are coming from your area, from around, you know, Pittsburgh, all of those. So it really does look like a fun time. speaker-1: Yeah, and I mean the greatness of it that every weekend you would get the regulars, but you would also get people that came for a boxing match, came for a concert, or grandma's out there on the slot machine and maybe needs a break, you know? then you had a wedding downstairs or there was racing, so you kind of get all that ⁓ into one spot, which... It's sometimes quite hard for a DJ to manage all those different types of music. But I thought I did well to try to just keep that crowd and mix it up and keep everybody involved. And it was always fun to ⁓ get on the microphone. then the casino always had some giveaways, which was fun. We gave Lazy Boys away, Steeler shirts. had... speaker-0: of shirt. speaker-1: Louis Lips in the DJ booth with me from the Steelers. speaker-0: I think this weekend they're giving away either a Ford Bronco or a Ford Mustang. So it's a big weekend at the casino. So, you know, we've talked about what it was and now what is it becoming and what's what is the vibe at Vibe 2.0? speaker-1: Yeah, so I think it's going to have a lot of the same elements. We are moving it, if a lot of people realize where Vibe was, is still the sports bar. So we're moving it behind there where the 80s pop-up bar and Halloween pop-up bar was at. But we're kind of doing some different decor, trying to bring some old stuff that was in the old Vibe back there. We're putting a DJ booth in. We have a big video wall. A lot more seating because people you know like to relax. I believe VIP tables and bottle service are going to be available. So I'm working with the casino now. Up on my social media and it's your birthday. You might get an invite for you know four or five of your friends and free free seating for that night. speaker-0: Sure. Yeah, you've got a huge following too. mean, if somebody wanted to keep up with where you're at, where you're playing at, what's the best place for speaker-1: Yeah, so it's definitely Facebook and Instagram talk is gradually getting there. will say, ⁓ you know, it took me a while over the years to realize, ⁓ you know, I was a little bit shy at first when I was DJing to tell people to follow me. You know, and so now I kind of kind of got that. wherever I'm at, I do a lot of stuff for the talent network, David Sotomayor, that's in Pittsburgh. He books me in Orlando, in Vegas, Asheville, different places all over the country with 12,000 people at one event. So now I know to put my Instagram, follow me on Instagram, and I do video, so the good thing is you're always looking at the screen. right now those are the ways that I promote where I'm gonna be at. ⁓ And I get a lot of people, I do have my own Facebook group that I think have over a thousand local followers. So just me putting on different pages, posting that group. ⁓ And I will have to a funny story, when Vibe, Vibe was open, we would take tons of photos and videos of that night. And then Sunday morning, I would post all that stuff. And I would get multiple text messages. that were afraid to look at it. ⁓ I got a few that said, hey, can you take that photo? I was like, well, you were smiling. ⁓ So Vibe kind of built that around here because when people seen the photos and videos, they're like, what am I missing? Like, I should be there. So it kind of built itself along with that. speaker-2: Bye. I think that is the theme here of like, you should be there and you should go. And that's what's kind of interesting to me about what's happening right now is like we have two different audiences that are happening here. Like we have the people that did experience vibe, know, 10 years ago and they had those experiences and they had those, can you take that photo of me down please? But now we're having, you know, college kids and you know, a younger generation coming in to experience vibe. So what do you think is there for, you know, those people? and then the new young generation. speaker-1: Yeah, I think the old generation, you know, they miss it. I hear it every weekend, you know, years and years later. You know, which I was telling Kevin Brogan, like, people still ask me, you know, why don't they bring Vibe back? You know, and it's been closed since 2018, think. So for that threshold for people to still want that, the older generation, you know, they want a place to go out to feel safe. ⁓ a nice place to have some seating and people watch. ⁓ speaker-0: Not to mention too that it's free parking, it's easy to get to, and you don't have to sit in traffic going downtown. speaker-1: and there's no cover. you know, that's, and you don't have to go downtown. So I know during the summer when Vibe was open on a Saturday night, it was beautiful out. I would sometimes hope for rain because then some people wouldn't travel downtown and they were like, hey, we're just going to stay local. So, you know, that was me doing my rain dance. I need get people there. But the new Vibe, I I think the younger generation, especially in Washington County, there's, There's not much in nightclub. You do have Santella's, which is a great spot that's really been catering to the crowd for live entertainment and DJs and doing a great job. ⁓ There's definitely room for vibe. And with COVID, it was a weird part of life. was. ⁓ I think the younger generation, it skipped over a little bit of that. you know, nightclub, fun, entertainment, in your own backyard. You know, instead of going to Pittsburgh or a bigger city, you can do it right here. speaker-0: And I don't think that this vibe reboot kind of fits the mold of the definition of a pop-up bar. mean, the plans are to be here for a while, but what I think we're seeing is pop-up bars within a pop-up bar. you if we look over the course of the summer, there's going to be special guests from back in the day, there's going to be dance-offs, contests, theme party nights. I know they have a lot planned. which I think is cool, it's different than other pop-up bars in that it's gonna be here for. speaker-1: Yeah, know, talking with the Meadows and Kevin, know, the excitement is to hopefully make this a great summer event and expand it into the future. So if we can do what we did before and people come and enjoy it, I don't see why it wouldn't just keep keep rolling in. And I think people are going to be surprised at the new space there. It's It's not like because there's a lot of things that are making it, you know, solid of ⁓ a club. speaker-0: Yeah, I mean, what a kickoff to the relaunch. So we're sitting here, it's Thursday, April 30th. The grand opening is Saturday, May 2nd, which also happens to be Kentucky Derby Day at the casino. So throw on your fancy hat and stick around for the grand opening. Next weekend, they've got live boxing. So this will be the official after party spot. They also have live boxing, July 18th and October 3rd. But again, this is the place to be after those events. In a couple weeks we have, I mean arguably one of the biggest events in Washington County, the Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival. you know, they've got plenty of bands, great food. As that winds down, vibe kicks up. tons of opportunities. July 4th, they've got a Red, White and Blue party. Orchid Adios on July 25th is part of the Adios race. and then a white out party on August 22nd. ⁓ that's just those preliminary events ⁓ that are coming up and I'm sure there's going to be tons of theme nights most weekends. speaker-1: And a lot of people that came to the old five remember the white party, Kentucky Derby. It's just a crazy day and night. So we're going to open early. I'll be in there, I believe at seven o'clock, right after the main race. And we're just going to start the party at seven and go till I believe two. and do a hat contest outside on the racetrack, we're going to do our own inside. Nice. So that'll be fun, you know. speaker-0: So looking forward throughout the course of the summer, ⁓ it's going to be open Fridays, Saturday nights, 9 to 2. DJs typically 9.30 to 1.30. Never ⁓ charge, free parking. What else? speaker-2: It's gonna be a packed summer. speaker-0: Bottle service maybe? tables? speaker-2: The full experience, stunted vibe. speaker-1: video walls with myself and then I have some other DJs in the mix that are helping throughout the summer. ⁓ DJ Rambo, DJ Scar, so a lot of those guys you might know they play in Pittsburgh and around the area so they're gonna come in and help out to just keep the party rolling. speaker-0: Yeah, you know, I've never seen anybody else do video mashups, but if you haven't seen AJ's, you've gotta check it out. They're fun. It's just so fun, so cool. ⁓ He did a mashup for us for the Ponylick World Series a couple years ago where we pulled out ⁓ iconic baseball clips from famous movies over the years and then putting that to music. You got a special talent. speaker-1: Yeah, that was fun. I really enjoyed doing those and you my wife hates it because while we're watching a TV show or a movie, I have to pause and write it all down because I'm like, I'm going to use that clip somewhere. she's a big sport when it comes to that. And she remembers working on the pony leg because I had to stop a few times to. speaker-0: Well I'm excited about it. Vibe coming back this Saturday, May 2nd. Be here every Friday and Saturday for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow night through May 3rd, a gentleman's guide to love and murder returns to old school house players in Hickory. If you haven't seen a show there yet, I'd say it's high time you do. This Saturday, May 2nd, as I mentioned, throw on your fancy hats because it is Derby Day at the Casino. plus the grand opening of Vibe Ultra Loud. Next Saturday, May 9th, we'll have Sheep Races on Main Street in downtown Washington with the fourth annual Running of the Wolves. We'll have Boxing Live at the Event Center at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows. Next week on the Washoe Insider, we'll welcome Carol D'Angelo of the Observer Reporter and Nate Mass of the Washington PA Food Group and we're talking Greater Pittsburgh Food Truck Festival. won't miss that. Until then, we'll see you next week. Thanks for joining us. speaker-1: you