Rock Lobster Puts Tasty Spin on Ferndale DJ Nights

Every Thursday night, offers a delicacy one can enjoy without chopsticks.

Some of Ferndale's most musical residents have joined together in the dimly lit lounge to form Rock Lobster, a genre-spanning celebration of vinyl. Four DJs spin on alternate weeks with each bringing a guest to help keep the night's track selection interesting.

"It's a great atmosphere. You can kind of relax, have a good sushi meal and hang out," said Marcie Bolen, reclining on a leather couch in front of the DJ table. Bolen hosts Rock Lobster the first Thursday of every month.

Rock Lobster began in early 2009, the brainchild of Bolen and Pierce Reynolds, who both perform in local bands. It was a combination of immense record collections and musical camaraderie with Sakana employees that lead Bolen and Reynolds to push the idea to fruition.

"We DJ a lot of indie, garage and new wave; just an eclectic mix." Bolen said. "It's something that is catchy to a lot of different types of people, even if they don't know all the deeper cuts."

Bolen said a night of DJing usually lends itself to samplings from roughly 25-30 LPs and about 50 7-inch singles. It's not rare to hear everything from T. Rex to Outkast, and often a plethora of new and classic local music.

"Sakana previously just had techno music nights, and we wanted to add a new spin that everyone was feeling," Bolen said, adding the variety of music played by each week's DJ team adds to the overall welcoming feel of Rock Lobster. "A lot of people come to hang out while we're DJing and talk about music, offer suggestions."

Dethlab, a trio of DJs, hosts Rock Lobster the fourth Thursday of every month, and specializes in punk, dark electro and shoegaze records. Bethany Shorb, a third of the trio, said Dethlab joined in with Rock Lobster after hearing from Bolen about the unique night.

"The seared fin comes in on Thursdays," Shorb said, laughing. "We love eating as much as we love playing music."

The quality of food patrons can sample, as well as the tunes and hip atmosphere, help Rock Lobster stand out from other DJ nights in the area, Shorb said. Because each DJ only commits to one night per month, Shorb said, the hosts are able to put more effort into their night and change Rock Lobster up every time.

Thursdays also play up Sakana's status of a good neighborhood bar.

"It's definitely nice to see a community of artists and musicians coming out," Bolen said. "Everyone shares music. We learn from each other. It brings people together."

Members of Duende! host Rock Lobster tonight.

In addition to Bolen, Dethlab and Duende!, Pierce Reynolds hosts Rock Lobster the second Thursday of each month.

Rock Lobster runs about 9:30 p.m. – 2 a.m. every Thursday at Sakana Sushi Lounge, 22914 Woodward Ave., in Ferndale. Rock Lobster patrons enjoy a number of drink specials after 10 p.m., including $2 Coors bottles; $3 Jameson drinks; $4 Guinness, Martinis and hot sake carafes; select $15 wine bottles and $15 750ml Sake bottles.

Need a list of other DJ nights in the area? Check out what we've compiled . If your favorite DJ night isn't on there, let us know.