Astro House
It’s a fine line to walk writing about a city like the 505. You want to write about something different, but you also want to focus on those contributing. And it isn’t that there aren’t a bunch of interesting people or events, it’s just, most of the time, you gotta go out there and find them.
But let me tell you, when you get the chance, and you find something special, whether it’s hidden or right there in front of you, I don’t feel it’s fair to deny it.
That is why my focus this week is not just on a show or the DJ playing but also on what this specific DJ does during the day. I’m talking about their day job and how it may mean as much to me as any dancefloor I’ve ever experienced.
Astro-Zombies, a shop in the middle of Nob Hill, is in an area of the city that will always represent a wonderful time in my life. Ever since I was a teenage raver, it has always been a custom and even tradition to cruise Nob Hill.
No doubt the years have caused things to change, but there was once a time when it was popping. Just popping, and all we wanted to do was keep bopping.
Buffalo Exchange, Angel Alley, The Loft, Masks Y Mas, Birdland, and Astro-Zombies. All represented something different and yet all experienced in just one stroll, which is also a great way of describing the 505 as well when you think about it.
I remember we used to go to Pregnant Park just off Indian school, and we’d smash like 6 or 7 of us in my friend’s car, and we’d get mega-baked. Then we’d ride to Nob Hill and enjoy the culture all centered on that one strip of Central.
The world all around us was so alive, and so were we. It was a beautiful moment for me and for those I shared it with, and my only wish is that we could bring that back. Thankfully, there is somebody there who understands that balance.
Just last year, Chris Losack became the owner and runner of Astro-Zombies, and it makes me happy to know that he will keep it to what it’s always been to us here, who have grown up along the way.
Chris isn’t just the owner and resident comic book guy either; he is also a very talented DJ who is playing this weekend at the El Rey Mezz alongside House Proud founders the Rev and Vettaluv, and house and techno powerhouse, Xkota, for this month’s version of House Proud.
The show itself, which is only five bucks at the door, promises a night of wonderful and proper house music with a vendor market showcasing local talent.
I love what House Proud is doing for this city, and I want nothing more than for you to go and show your love on the dancefloor.
But if you have the chance, I also want you to go to Astro-Zombies and show some love for a local business that many of us have valued for decades, voted the best comic book store in the 505 for 23 years straight. With Chris, I know it will continue, and that’s enough for me to share some words.
So please go to the shop and the show. Appreciate the culture we have all around us and the people that keep it going. We owe them that.
See you at Astro Zombies and maybe on the dancefloor for what I like to call Astro House.
Ourdancefloor.net 