Ohio State’s Vinyl Club is teaming up with Slammies on High bar and restaurant to host a vinyl record dance night Friday. Credit: Megan Durbin
Students might want to get their dancing shoes ready because the Vinyl Club is preparing to put its records on.
Ohio State’s Vinyl Club is hosting a dance night at Slammies on High — a popular LGBTQ+ bar and pizza kitchen — for students 18 and older Friday. Vinyl Club president Megan Durbin said the event will include a live DJ, button sale, Used Kids Records gift card raffle and more.
“This is our first big event outside of record store crawls and club meetings,” Durbin, a fourth-year in psychology, said.
First established in 2022, Slammies on High is excited to collaborate with the Vinyl Club, bar manager Felix Underwood said. Underwood said Slammies’ main mottos, “Come one, come all” and “All walks, one groove,” extend to the entire Ohio State community.
“Megan is also one of our cooks, and she told me that when the idea was pitched to the club everyone’s eyes lit up because a lot of these students come here or have been wanting to go,” Underwood said. “It’s the perfect opportunity, and we think the two separate groups of our regulars and newcomers from the event really can merge super well.”
Despite what its name suggests, Vinyl Club is not limited to just vinyl collectors, Durbin said. She said the group invites all students to join them as they listen to and discuss music.
“We invite everyone to come and talk about music, hang out and just create that community experience,” Durbin said.
Jason Rawls, the Vinyl Club’s adviser and an assistant professor of hip-hop at Ohio State, said he has been DJing since 1995 and will be mixing the melodies Friday night.
Students hoping to dance to their favorite songs are encouraged to bring their own vinyl to be played at the event, Rawls, also known as DJ J. Rawls, said.
Durbin said the event’s button sale will feature three different sizes and designs created by the club, varying from $1-3 in price. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Durbin said. The nonprofit provides LGBTQ+ youth with free housing, programming and support services, according to its website.
“We wanted the event to also benefit an organization that works to help queer youth, an issue that is important to all of us,” Durbin said.
Purchasing a button grants entry into the raffle for a $25 gift card to Used Kids Records, generously gifted by owner Greg Hall, Durbin said.
Durbin said she hopes students interested in Vinyl Club, or simply interested in music, will consider stopping by Slammies on the day. If all goes well, Durbin said Vinyl Record Dance Night might become a recurring event for the org.
More information about the Vinyl Club and updates on Vinyl Record Dance Night can be found on the club’s Instagram.
