Celebrity DJs the Perry Twins bring their catchy WeHo style to their Dallas debut this weekend
BOY OH BOY
Bad Boy Night, Station 4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road. Aug. 28. Midnight. "Heat of the Night" — Legal Hospice of Texas 20th Anniversary Celebration, Studios 1019, 2278 Monitor St. Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. $50. Legalhospice.org.
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| BOYS, TWO MEN: Gay WeHo DJ brothers Doug and Derek Perry make their Dallas club debuts this weekend — first at Station 4, then at a fundraiser for Legal Hospice of Texas. |
At this very moment, the Perry Twins have a lot going for them.
They are young, hot and talented; they are the DJ team du jour, complete with a top 10 hit on the Billboard dance charts that gives them top notch spinning cred.
So why on earth would they be feeling pressured?
"This is a big event. I mean, this is a 20th anniversary celebration. And they are flying us out. We definitely don’t wanna disappoint. They have to remember the night but for the right reasons," Doug Perry says.
"They" are the good folks with the Legal Hospice of Texas, which is celebrating two decades of service at their "Heat of the Night" party Saturday. And the event — plus a pre-party the night before at Station 4 — marks the Perry Twins’ first time playing in Dallas.
"We want to give them the best show ever with the best music," Doug says.
Doug and his identical twin brother, Derek, have been making their mark on the dance scene since the ’90s, spinning at clubs, Pride festivals and circuit parties. But it wasn’t until 2007 when they hit their stride with their album "Activate" and the hit single that came out of it, "Activate My Body." The song spent a six weeks on Billboard’s hot club play charts, peaking at no. 3 — not bad for a couple of 31 year-old gay brothers from Rhode Island.
"We’re so lucky to have the success we’ve been having. We’ve been working on the DJ thing for a long time and it’s cool to be noticed. We’ve always written music and DJ’d for fun growing up," Doug says.
Doug speaks with the enthusiasm of a young man going to his first ball game. He chuckles during responses that seem to put him at ease, perhaps because he is still getting used to all the attention. He’s affable and charming but also refreshingly unrefined. Doug Perry doesn’t offer pre-packaged responses.
Which is not to say that he’s shooting from the hip with outrageous statements. No, he’s just a guy having a conversation on the phone about his life — hardly indicative of a celebrity at any level.
Or maybe the twins are just used to the attention because it’s been happening since their college days.
"In Rhode Island, we took it seriously when we were in college. Then we got involved with radio and dance mix shows at college and then started DJ’ing at clubs. We did weddings but we just didn’t like being told what songs to play. But people were always great," he says.
By the sounds of it, the twins are enjoying the ride. They also realize that original material is crucial to staying afloat in the business and not getting thrown under the bus as faux musicians.
"We do write some of our own stuff. I’m sure there have been musicians who think DJs are just whatever. But I think everyone has his or her worth. I don’t think one’s better than the other," Doug says.
But there is one thing with less worth.
"We try not to play artists who are offensive to gay community. And we don’t play Chris Brown. He hit Rihanna!"
The twins will have some warm-up time prior to the big shindig by spinning for a pre-party at Station 4 Friday. Perry says if they have the time, they’ll even explore the city but clearly, the weekend is about one thing for them.
"We’re looking forward to being part of it. I’ve been reading up on what they do. We love doing things that give back to communities to help raise awareness, so it should be a lot of fun," he says.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 28, 2009.
I love the boys. Met them in LA a few months back.