Do you love dancing around to great music, but are sick of the same old bar scene with same top 40 hits? Then Indie Pop Night this Saturday at the Cellar is the place for you.
IPNs are monthly parties which incorporate an eclectic mix of indie underground bands and some mildly mainstream pop. People are always jumping around and waving their arms in hopes of catching the DJ’s attention. Bones brings his camera to each IPN and always snaps a bunch of pictures of the crowd.
Marc LeBlanc, also known as DJ Bones, is the man behind IPN. He started DJing during his studies at Université de Moncton. Since pitching the idea to have an alternative pop night in the university bar, he’s been doing IPN for 10 years. After he finished university, he organized shows where he would DJ between bands and finish with a big dance party. It was at an event like this that a man named Shawn Doyle encouraged him to have an Indie Pop Night at Player’s Lounge in Moncton.
“He invited me to DJ the first night and people loved it,” said LeBlanc.
When he was offered a spot to host Indie Pop Night at The Paramount Lounge, he started hosting them monthly and “it just spread like brushfire,” he said.
“People would tell me they were their favourite nights of the month and I even had a few people come up to me telling me they had driven from Fredericton and planned an escape weekend in Moncton just to come out to Indie Pop Night. ”
The innovative DJ was asked to mix some tracks for the grand reopening of the Capital Complex. The first Fredericton night was such a success that the folks at the Capital asked Leblanc to make the events a monthly habit. For years many STU students have been piling through the Capital’s doors to jump up and down to a Nirvana remix or groove to some upbeat electronic rhythms. Bones has taken his travelling dance party all across the Maritimes. He’s expanded and makes monthly stops in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
“The music is always really good. More importantly, the energy in the room at an IPN is always really fun and positive. Everyone is just there to dance and have a good time,” said Daniel Bull, who frequents the events.
The Fredericton venue has since changed from the Capital to the Cellar, and hopefully the change will bring in more students. Bones went a whole summer without DJing in Fredericton and his events lost some of its momentum as a result. He doesn’t mind the drop though, because IPN is already more than he ever envisioned.
LeBlanc says the Capital will always be a venue he holds dear. “They’ve done so much to encourage great live music at that place and still do,” he said. However, he had a lot of fun the last time he was at the Cellar and can’t wait to come again. Essentially, he just wants to make people dance.
“I want to create a space where people can let loose and be themselves and have fun and not just listen to top 40 music. I love diversity,” he said.“My music has evolved throughout the years but once an IPN classic, always an IPN classic.”
His goal is to introduce people to new sounds and share the love of music with everyone. LeBlanc hopes to organize some special 10-year anniversary events this year for fans new and old.
“I think one of the reasons I’ve kept it going so long is my ability to adapt and to read crowds. It might sound corny but if you can tap into the energy of the people there the night just runs itself through the musical interaction with the people dancing.”
The next IPN will be at the Cellar on Feb.8. The party starts at 11 p.m.
