Drumroll Please...

As you now know, Seth has taken a job promotion that unfortunately requires him to leave the band. This was not an easy thing for him to do, or for the rest of us to endure, but as they say, "the show must go on".


Please join us in welcoming Reginald Brown a the new drummer for DFR!  He has a ton of experience, and has now taken over the position as the youngest member of the band. He blew us away with his audition and will be starting with us officially in July! We're excited to see the growth and change that is to come.

So if you'd like to part with Seth one more time, come out before the end of June!

Ever wanted to be a member of DFR?! ... Part 2

As much as it saddens us to say, another original member of the band is moving on. Having been with us for just over 9 years (since the beginning), Seth has an opportunity to advance with his dream career in videography/photography that has forced him to make the tough decision to leave the band. As much as we want to keep him, we realize that this is a huge step that he not only wants to take, but needs to take for his career.


That being said, we will be auditioning drummers. There is not a hard deadline at the present time, but the sooner the better. Obviously this is a full-time gig and requires a big commitment, but if you or someone you know desires to fill the spot, please email us with your name, age, location, and experience. If you have any videos of yourself playing, that would be very helpful as well. You must be 21+ with your own gear, and reliable transportation.

When One Door Closes...

As most of you know by now, one of our original members, Joe, has chosen to leave the band.  His last official show with the band will be our New Years Eve show. Although he will be missed by many, we had scour the city in hopes of finding a suitable replacement. This was no easy task. Not only did the new member need to be able to learn and play our show within a couple months, but they had to "fit in". You all know we take pride in not taking ourselves too seriously. We needed someone who wasn't offended by our sense of humor, had similar interests, and just wants to play music to entertain not only the crowds, but also ourselves. 


We went through a handful of auditions. Some really impressed us. Others, not so much. But at the end, we all unanimously agreed on the same person. Please help us in welcoming Shamar Jordan as the newest member of DFR!  He has years of experience, and his happiness, positive attitude, and drive are infectious. Starting in 2018 you'll be able to experience all that is Shamar! 

Ever wanted to be a member of DFR?!

There comes a time in most peoples’ lives when they have to step back, evaluate, and make life-altering decisions to hopefully better themselves. Sometimes that means walking away from someone or something you love, which is never easy. It’s a huge leap of faith, and trusting it’s the right decision is a very tough pill to swallow.

As you may already suspect, a member of DFR is currently going through this, and has decided to step away from the band. Joe is an original member of Dance Floor Riot, and has easily cemented his legacy as a fan-favorite. He brings a charisma to the stage that is extremely admirable, and will absolutely be missed. This was not an easy decision for Joe, but he’s chosen to put his focus on his wife and 2 beautiful children, and although it’s going to potentially change the face of DFR, we fully and lovingly support his decision. 

Joe’s last show date has not yet been set in stone, but you can expect to see a new face on stage with us in 2018. So for now, come out as often as you can, buy Joe a beer (or 10), and let him know how much he’ll be missed.

That being said, anyone know how to sing and play keys?

We have begun the audition process already, but there is obviously a lot of talent in St. Louis that we have yet to tap into, and we’d love to hear from you. Obviously we play a lot, and we rehearse weekly, so please know going in that this is no “garage band” hobby. Any questions, please email info@dancefloorriot.com.

The more info you can send us about yourself, the better. Also, any video of you playing and/or singing would be helpful.

See you soon!

Holy St. Louis!

Are you a fan of ours?! (we're going to assume since you're already this far that you are)
Are you a fan of The Urge?

Well, we've got news for you!! Now, let's get this out of the way... we're NOT playing a show with The Urge (yet anyway). But when July rolls around, we'll be making an announcement involving two of St. Louis' finest... DFR and The Urge! Stay tuned!

OH... and do yourself a favor and save the date. Tuesday,  July 11.

Wolfpack

It's finally happened... WE HAVE BOOKED DATES IN LAS VEGAS!!! 

Thanks to the continued love and support from people like you, we kept pushing to get shows in Vegas. We've finally secured a 4-show run (in the very near future) and we couldn't be happier about it!

However, not ALL expenses are covered, so we're sucking up our pride and asking for help. (Kinda like asking your parents for money... at the age of 45). 

Details here: http://www.gofundme.com/k3h3fk38

TOUR LIFE W/DFR

We are finally going to be doing some more traveling in 2016, which is something we've been trying to do for a few years. We'll be visiting the following cities all by July:

Wichita, KS

Las Vegas, NV

Laguna Beach, CA

Aspen, CO

Fort Knox, TN

Osage Beach, MO

Stay up to date on our travels on Twitter & Instagram at @DanceFloorRiot.

It is finally happening...

Anyone who has ever been in a band will understand and sympathize with the following...
All bands have a list of "dream shows" and "dream venues" they would love to play.  This list usually starts with more attainable goals, with a few long-term ones dabbled in as well.  For instance, one of our early-on goals when we first started was to play at St. Louis hotspot "Helen Fitzgerald's" since every huge band that worked the circuit played there.  We achieved that goal in under a year.  We have accomplished many of our more attainable goals, a couple of the long-term ones, and even a few bigger ones we weren't even realizing would be a possibility. 

Well, to make a long story short, since our band has started we have always had a "dream show" that we have wanted to play; Halloween night at the world famous Lemp Mansion. It is literally THE biggest Halloween party in the city, and one of the biggest in the country, given the history of Lemp Mansion.

Cutting straight to the chase here... we did it.  We finally booked it.  We will be one of three bands playing their Halloween Bash on October 31st, 2015.

We cannot express how excited and grateful we are for this opportunity!  We are all big fans of Halloween in general, especially anything relating to the Lemp Mansion, as we're all from the St. Louis area. We even rehearse in the old Lemp Brewery!

Details are HERE.  We look forward to seeing you all there!!

It's Music Video Time!!!

We are getting ready to shoot our first music video!!  We have pulled no stops with this one!!  We've put in a lot of time, creativity and money... but something was missing.  Something that makes us... "us". We racked our brains trying to figure out what was missing.... then it hit us.  We aren't "us"... without YOU!!  As cliche as it sounds, we need our fans!! 

We're sooting the video on January 11th, 2015, and we are allowed to bring 10 fans along to participate in the music video!

Here are answers to the most common questions;
Q: What would I be doing in the video?
A: Just rocking out to a DFR show!  We're playing a medley of songs, and we need a group of people who are willing to stand in front of us and dance and rock out to us!

Q: How long will I need to be there?
A: You'll need to arrive by 4:30pm. You could potentially be there until midnight.  (Like I said, we're going all-out on this). Very unlikely you'd be there until midnight, but possible. So you'd need to be prepared to stay that long just in case.

Q: If we're staying from 4:40-midnight, is dinner provided?
A: Hell no. You have a job, you can buy your own dinner.

Q: What do I need to wear?
A: What you would wear to any of our shows!  No costumes, no logos, no photos and no text on your shirts please. Just go with solid colors or prints. Dress normal... but look good b/c this video will be seen across America!

Q: How do I get selected as 1 of the 10 people?
A: Simple. Email us and tell us why you want in! Our email is our band name at gmail.com. Tell us your name, age and phone number.

Q: Can I bring a friend 
A: Nope.  This is an invite only event, so if you want to bring a friend... make sure you put info for everyone you want to attend in the email so we can consider you all. (All attendees must be 21, and you will need to sign a release.)

We hope you're all as excited about this as we are, and we look forward to partying with some of you on January 11th!


Note: No alcohol will be allowed on set.

BEER #2

That's right ladies & gents... we are proud to announce the release of our 2nd beer!!  But we couldn't just do it the way we did it last time... we had to go a bit bigger of course.  We've decided to make a day of it, and create a festival... "Quiet Fest".

October 4, 2014 will mark what will hopefully be the first of many festivals of its kind.  It will be held at Alpha Brewing Co in downtown St. Louis starting at 4pm. There will be BBQ for sale all evening, and of course good music.  We've gathered up some of the best acoustic acts throughout St. Louis to put together the following epic lineup:

Mixed Emotions
Jason Cole
Shauna Young
Steve Hunt
Tricky -n- M.E.
Leland's Road
Mark Boemler, and of course....
Dance Floor Quiet.

The show starts at 4pm and goes until midnight.  (Enjoy photos of tese lovely people below. Except ours... you know what we look like.)

 

OH YEAH... the beer.  We wanted to add a little more... "us" to it this time.  Not just by branding it, but by making the name of the beer coincide with what we do as well.  We came up with... "Hop, Lock & Drop It".  Think about it, let the word play and wittiness set in, then smirk on your own time.  Here's a sneek peak at the label!

 

This beer will be a pale ale, and will be available both in draught and bottled form at the brewery that night.  

2 Wild and Crazy Shows!!

We have 2 geat shows coming up in the next month;

1. The owners of Ballpark Village were kind enough to as us to play their SEC Block Party, which will be a HUGE party at their Kansas City location (Power & Light District) featuring local & national SEC personalities and celebrities plus SEC Championship Game ticket raffles and memorabilia silent auctions... and of course yours truly playing through it all.  This is all going down on July 22nd starting at 6 pm.



2. We'll be playing for the 1st Annual "Q & Brew in the Lou" presented by the Riverfront Times.  This beer fest will take place on August 23rd starting at 4pm inside St. Louis Union Station's South Plaza. While you're there, you can pick up samples from your favorite local microbreweries, and enjoy 'cue from Sugarfire Smoke House, Rib Shack and Bully's Smokehouse. We'll be providing the live music and there will be goodies from plenty of local vendors. Summer in St. Lou with beer and barbecue: What better way to spend a late-summer day?! (You can buy tickets HERE)

Our Pinnacle Thus Far.

Last night we hit what most would say has been the pinnacle of DFR's journey to this point.  We were the very first band to EVER play at Ballpark Village in St. Louis, MO.  We stood elbow to elbow with some of St. Louis' elite (Mayor Slay, Governor Nixon, Charlie Dooley, Al Hrabosky, Murphy Lee, etc as the owners of this entire organization rounded the employees in the center of this beautiful establishment and gave one hell of a pep talk!  The final phrase uttered to the staff was "Let's go out there and kick some ass!" Not only that, but we were sitting in awe as 400+ people were still walking around frantically putting the final touches on perfection. Construction workers carrying out drywall and ladders, employees learning their job titles, red rope getting put up, news anchors broadcasting live, testing the retractable roof, etc. Then at 6pm when the VIP's were allowed in, it all came together like a well-oiled machine. Mike shook the hand of one of the owners who made the decision to use DFR and thanked him, and he stopped his frantic rush to the opposite side of the building to smile and say "Guys, do me a favor, and just kick some serious ass tonight."  Very cool.

The owners of Ballpark Village have been very supportive of Dance Floor Riot from Day 1, and we have done everything in our power to make sure we are bringing our A-Game to them each and every single time we step foot on their establishment.  When we got the call about playing the Grand Opening we were more than thrilled. To know that we would literally be the first band to ever play a live show there, is humbling.  Then, to find out we would be opening for Third Eye Blind simply put it over the top.  This news was given to us when we took our initial tour of BPV back when it was still drywall and tape and we could barely hold onto the news.

Below is a picture of our show there last night. This was during our sound check.

We played 2 hours straight... no break.  This did cause us to not personally greet some of you as usual, but as mentioned earlier... we want to give it our all.  There was an overwhelming response by you, the fans.  These next pictures speak volumes about you all. 

 

There was a line to get into BPV for the Third Eye Blind concert that was easily 3 blocks long, if not more... and everyone in these pictures... was not in it. That means you committed to seeing us, and that is simply amazing.  You didn't care to see Ballpark Village. You didn't care to see Third Eye Blind.  You were there to see us. Little known fact: Third Eye Blind was amongst you all watching our show from 7:30-8!

We were a part of history.  And in 10 days from the date of this blog posting, we will be back there again, playing on the very same stage Third Eye Blind played on last night for the Cardinals' Home Opener, which will undoubtedly be a madhouse... and we can not wait.  Then 11 days later we will be releasing our own branded beer for public purchase/consumption.  We are growing every year, and couldn't do it without all of you.  From each and every single member of Dance Floor Riot... "Thank You".

DFR wants YOU to see Miley Cyrus live!!

As you know... we've been very blessed lately.  We're opening for Third Eye Blind on Thursday, March 27th at the Grand Opening of Ballpark Village, we're getting our own beer, we're going to be playing at the Fox Sports Midwest Live! stage at the cardinal's Home Opener on April 7th, etc.

Well, we've been getting so much love lately that we wanted to give a little back to you all since, let's be honest, we would not be where we are today without all of you. *tear*

We are going to give away a pair of tickets to see Miley Cyrus live in St. Louis on April 16th!!

How can you win these tickets??  Easy... make a sign.  We want to see signs at the Grand Opening of Ballpark Village that say "I Came to see Dance Floor Riot!!" or something along those lines.

We want the suits over at Ballpark Village to rest assured they have chosen the right band, so the bigger and bolder... the better!!

We will pick a winner live on stage between 7-9pm!! 





*The picture of Eddie's face on Miley's body above has absolutely no relevence. It's just funny.

DFR's 5th Birthday Celebration!!

As you know by now, we like to celebrate our birthday each year with a huge party.  Last year we brought in actor Derek Miller to host the event, played a badass show with "Those Guys" at Blueberry Hill, gave away a bunch of movie/music schwag and released our very first CD.  This year is different.  Very different.

The party will be held on Friday, April 18th at Alpha Brewing Company in downtown St. Louis. "Why a brewery?" you ask... well because we will be revealing a limited edition Rye IPA specifically made for/after us appropriately called "Ryot".  That's right... a Dance Floor Riot beer!    The beer will be on tap for one night only at the brewery, and a limited supply of bottled product will be available that night as well.  The beer is brewed and bottled by the brew masters of Alpha, AND the fellas of Dance Floor Riot!

It gets even cooler... beginning Saturday, April 19th you will be able to get your own "Ryot" bottles in select stores such as Randall's Wines & Spirits, Friar Tuck's, The Wine & Cheese Place, Local Harvest, Lukas Liquors, Bombay Liquors, 21st Amendment Beer Bar and Craft Beer Cellar!  This will be a limited run to coincide with the season so be sure to buy yours before they're sold out!

Getting even more cool... the first 100 people through the door that night to purchase a "Ryot" IPA on draught will get a limited edition "DFR/Alpha Brewing Co" pint glass to drink it from and take home!  The first beer will be $7, and refills will be at regular brewery prices. ($5 - $7 on average).

Still getting cooler... our friends at Steve's Hot Dogs on The Hill will be on-hand that night slinging hot dogs to crave your appetite.  They will have 2-3 dog varieties, including the "Riot Starter" which was also created by the members of DFR!

Yes, it still gets even cooler... there will NOT be a performance by Dance Floor Riot at this party.  Nope, been done.  At this party we will have the debut performance by Dance Floor Quiet! Obviously you're wondering what the heck that is... well it's the acoustic version of Dance Floor Riot.  We'll be stripped down (not like that you perv) and playing a short set to get you all acquainted.  We're keeping the performing to a minimum, as this night will be more about all of US partying with all of YOU.  All 6 members of DFR, plus our 2 subs Josh & Mitch will be in attendence!

One more cool thing won't hurt... right?!  Monster Energy has jumped on board to help us sponsor this event, and we have 100 FREE Monster Goodie Bags to give away!!

Tow more cool things that is... we will have AT LEAST one guest artist singing besides us!!  Their identity will remain a secret though... show up to find out who!

Alpha Brewing Company is located at 1409 Washington Ave in the rear behind Hiro Asian Kitchen.  The party begins at 7pm and goes until midnight.  REMEMBER, the first 100 people can take home the limited edition DFR/Alpha Brewing Co pint glass.

The DFR Mardi Gras Challenge!!

For the past 3 years we have been playing a show in downtown St. Louis for the Mardi Gras festivities, played a show the night before, and then played another show that same night at a different venue.  And every year, a handful of you PROMISE us that you will make a weekend out of it and just hang with us and go to all 3 shows. Yet only 1 of you has actually done this... ever. And even that brave soul didn't last the entire time.

This has inspired the "DFR Mardi Gras Challenge".  We want to see how many of you can "party like a rock star" and actually make the commitment to hang with us at all 3 shows this year.

Here are the 3 requirements for the challenge, should you choose to accept it;

Step 1. Come pre-party with us on Friday, Feb 28th at Sky Music Lounge in Ballwin.  This show is 9-1, and we're playing with friends of ours, "Black Tie Affair".  The lead singer of "Black Tie Affair" is actually going to be on the upcoming season of "The Voice"... so come party with him (and us of course) before he's out of our league! To successfully complete Step 1, you must remain at the show from 9-1.

Step 2. Come find us at Mardi Gras. (March 1st)  We'll be at the float staging area prior to the actual parade, and then we'll be in the parade as well.  Obviously it will be much easier to do so before the parade at the staging area, but if you can get our attention during the parade, that works too.  We'll be on the Monster Energy float. Or if you can manage to find one of us wandering around after the parade too, that works.  OR you can photograph us as we drive past you in the parade and tag us on Facebook or Twitter.  You get the point... Just find us.

Step 3. Come to our Mardi Gras After Party at River City Casino.  This show is in Judy's Velvet Lounge and is from 8-midnight on March 1st.  You must get there at 8 and make it until midnight to complete the challenge.

We're not quite sure what the prize(s) will be, if any... maybe a personalized T-Shirt?!  But when any of you pansies think "There's no way anyone can do that!!" just remember... there are 6 of us who WILL be doing that. Not to mention we'll be playing our best for 3-4 hours at all 3 of these shows.  You simply get to come and just party!

So... you up for the challenge?

Big News in 2014. Part 1.

So as you know we've been hyping our huge announcements for 2014 for some time now, and we will now reveal to you one of those announcements.

We have 2 new members.  Not full-time band members though, "substitutes" per say.

First up is Mitch.  We used Mitch last year when Seth was not able to make a couple shows.  This year Seth's original band "Media Ghost" will be playing out more, which means you might see a bit more of Mitch!

Mitch is not new to the music scene whatsoever... having played in several bands such as Smack Daddy, Way Back Weekend, Lithium and currently plays in the Swamp-Metal band Slampig. 



Next up is Josh Ramsey.  As most of you know, Joe is expecting his first child to arrive mid-April and will want (need) some time off... which is where Josh comes in!!  DFR will be Josh's first band experience and is STOKED to make his debut.

The picture above is from one of Josh's first two appearances with the band.  He has sat in on a couple songs at Cafe Eau and at Helen Fitzgerald's, and you'll be seeing a lot more of him soon!


We have a lot more announcements coming in the next 2-3 months.  Both of these gentlemen will be stocking up on black button-ups and ties in the meantime, but keep checking back here in the weeks to come!! This, albeit a big announcement, is actually the smallest of our upcoming news!!

DFR in 2014.

Well, as we close in on the end of 2013, we'd like to thank all of you for continuing to support us and help us become one of St. Louis' best cover bands!!  Without you all, we wouldn't be successful.

Looking back, we had a great year; releasing our first CD, getting to know actor/comedian Derek Miller, playing for the 2nd consecutive year on the Monster Energy float in the Mardi Gras parade, passing the torch for "Best Band Name" in the Riverfront Times over to Kentucky Knife Fight, several weddings (including our pianist Joe's), Mike and his wife having their first child, shooting our first music video, awarding our very first Dance Floor Riot Performing Arts Scholarships and who can forget, introducing the world to "Bacon Pancakes"?! 

We're really looking forward to 2014.  We'll be saying "goodbye" to some of our regular venues, and saying "hello" to some new ones, releasing our first music video, playing in the Mardi Gras parade again and various other new ventures for the band.  There's been a lot of rumors through the grapevine of what DFR has in store for 2014.  Some of the below listed rumors are from the band, and some are completely made up... regardless, here are a few of them.  You can decide.

Possibly releasing a 2nd CD.
A new member addition to the band.
Spicing up the on-stage appearance of our show.
Playing a show completely nude.
Introducing a DFR beer.
Touring around the US.
A new tie color for the band "uniform".

Regardless which of these you believe, we certainly want YOU to be a part of our journey through 2K14.  We'll be ringing in the new year at Mile 277 in South County, and it will positively be THE place to celebrate the closing of 2013. 

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@DanceFloorRiot), to get all the latest info before it hits our web site or facebook, and to see some behind the scenes gems you won't see anywhere else!

DFR + Lemp Brewery = History Making History

This blog entry was written by St. Louis local writer James Atchison a couple years back when we relocated our rehearsal space to the Lemp Brewery.  Quite the interesting story and background!

DFR has relocated to the Lemp Brewery!

                A famous location found in the heart of St. Louis. The brewery and adjoining mansion has a long and intricate history dating back to the mid 1800’s. Sprawling across five city blocks including caverns and tunnels below the Brewery is an absolutely massive complex including some areas that haven’t been seen in over a hundred years. The tunnels which still connect the mansion to the brewery proper were once used as the preferred travel method of the Lemp family who owned and operated the brewery throughout its operational life. After two generations of successful operation, the Lemp Brewery began its spiral down into the record books as the most haunted locale in STL.

                The fortunes of the Lemp family and that of at the time 3^rd largest brewery in St. Louis saw a change to one of strife and misery after the apparent suicide of owner William J. Lemp Sr. in February of 1904.  The following years would see the decline of the brewery and the Lemp family line. Through the advent of the Temperance Movement (Prohibition) and the efforts of Brewing Associations, individual companies like the Lemp Brewery saw their dominance of local and nationwide business threatened, that tied with the string of apparent suicides in the Lemp family from 1904-1949 effectively closed the noose on the Lemp family line. Each death was shrouded in mystery and misdirection. Elsa Lemp’s supposed suicide occurred just days after her marriage to William Lemp Jr. who after selling the Lemp Brewery Complex two years later proceeded to his office in the Mansion where he too committed suicide. Tragedy after tragedy followed the Lemp family from the suicide of a bride still celebrating her honeymoon to the death of William Lemp’s young child in the mid 1940’s. The final nail in the Lemp family coffin was hammered home with the death of Edwin Lemp at age 90. It is believed that Edwin only survived so long because he sold off and removed all ties between himself and the Brewery after the suicide of his brother Charles Lemp in 1949.

                Now the Brewery has a new lease on life with business slowly returning after the St. Louis board of Alderman contracted LB Redevelopment to rehabilitate the brewery. LB Redevelopment have plans for the larger buildings to be turned into restaurants and entertainment destinations, as well as a planned 3500 seat event center, the plans include the design and beautification of several courtyard areas and the designing of an 80 room hotel. DFR is right here in the middle of all the action at Brewhouse Studios where sometimes the laments of the lost and tortured souls of the ill-fated Lemp family can be heard in Unison with the music played throughout their haunted halls.

2013 Dance Floor Riot Performing Arts Scholarships!!

CONGRATULATIONS to Joelle Harms and Courtney VanDamme for being selected to receive the first 2 Dance Floor Riot Performing Arts Scholarships!! We worked closely with Fox High School for the decision to choose these 2 students to receive the innaugural scholarships, Joelle specializing in band and Courtney in vocal performance.  We wanted to give back to students who are going to college to pursue their craft in hopes they would continue to chase their dreams!  We would like to thank the individuals and organizations who have contributed to making this a success; Mitch McAllister, Steve Ewing and Steve's Hot Dogs on the Hill.

Congrats again Joelle and Courtney, and we wish you much success in the future!!

2013 RFT Music Awards!!

We were fortunate enough to be nominated under the Cover Band category for an RFT Music Award!!  We have some incredible competition in thios category, but with your help we can win this thing!!  PLEASE visit this link http://polls.riverfronttimes.com/polls/stl/musicawards2013/ and vote for us under the cover band category!  As for the other categories, you can vote for whoever you'd like, or not... your call.  Thanks for your help, and see you soon!!