Blow Pony offers acceptance, delivers phenomenal parties
Airick Redwolf is in the business of making people feel comfortable. Everything about him is welcoming, from how he greets strangers with a hug, to his soft spoken voice that dances from behind his giant, ginger beard and tattooed chin, Airick radiates acceptance.
It’s that heavy, 10 letter, three syllable word that inspired Airick to start Blow Pony. Blow Pony is a monthly queer party originating in Portland and slowly making it’s presence known in Denver. Full of music, dancing, performances, and beautiful people, the only requirement to attend is to be 100 percent accepting of everyone.
Acceptance: the action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group.
It seems simple, especially in a community that has been attacked from all angles. But, we are living in the age of outrage, where we are attacking each other within the community. And segregation is a very real thing among popular nightlife venues.
“I’ve been fighting this segregation for a while,” Airick said.
Airick, a colorado native, is the self proclaimed originator of the club kid scene here in Denver. Every Wednesday, they would fill “the old Tracks” with people off all shapes and sizes. From bears, to twinks, to lesbians, to trans people, would come and dance to an array of music ranging from, punk, to dance, to top 40.
“It was huge to fill up a bar on a Wednesday night in Denver,” Airick said. “When I left Denver, I hoped it would continue, but unfortunately it didn’t. That’s what we are trying to change, and why we brought Blow Pony to Denver.”
Bow Pony threw its first party over 5 years ago, not knowing that it would still be the go-to queer party in Portland half a decade later. The mission was simple, create a space where queer people can go, appreciate queer art, and be accepted by everyone in the room.
That mission hasn’t changed, and is strictly enforced. Airick has no problem telling people to leave his party if they stray away from that goal. For example, at one Blow Pony a bachelorette party came in to have a good time. But, when they saw a trans person they walked up to him and said, “are you one of those women who wants to be a boy?” in a condescending tone. Airick asked them to leave, and thy asked for their money back.
“I told them no, but rather I would take the money from their tickets and give it to the person they made feel uncomfortable,” he explained. “They ruined that person’s night, and I had to do whatever I could to make them feel comfortable again.”
Perhaps it’s that compassion that has 600 plus people flooding the doors in Portland each month. But, it could also be the queer artists he books to entertain. Or the cheap price of admission, which has never exceeded $10. Whatever the reason may be, Blow Pony is one hell of a party.
Lucky for us, it’s not just Portland that gets to dance their asses off and celebrate their queerness. Slowly but surely, Blow Pony is solidifying its place here in Denver. Last year it brought acts like Raja, Katey Red, Zebra Katz, and TT to the Compound on Broadway.
This year, Airick is trying to make the Denver party more of a regular thing, with parties planned from January to April, and assures us that big things are coming.
“I’m too superstitious to give out the actual names of who is coming, but trust me when I saw that people are going to love it,” he said.
Tonight, Blow Pony launches its 2016 year in Denver with special guest Will Sheridan. Will is a former college basketball player who played for the Villanova Wildcats Men’s Basketball program from 2003 to 2007. He became well known over night after his coming out in 2011 interview with ESPN. He is now a queer musician and recording artist signed with Royal Advisor Records. And he puts on a damn good show.
“Keep an eye on us this year,” Airick said. “Come out and dance. Meet new people. Try new things. Be accepting.”
Get a glimpse of tonight with photos of Blow Pony’s past and check out Will Sheridan’s video for S.O.A.P.
