Retro nights come to Axis Nightclub

Retro Night at Axis Nightclub in Bloomington has been a big hit for more than five years. The idea started with deejay Pam Thrash's Retro Lunch Hour on local radio station B97 in 1999. Thrash, was approached by Dave Kubiak, owner of Bluebird and Axis nightclubs, to recreate Retro Lunch Hour in front of a live audience at Axis. Kubiak and Thrash haven't looked back since.\n"I really never expected it to be this popular for this long," Thrash said. "I figured when I started Retro Lunch Hour and then Retro Dance Night in 1999 that it would go strong for about a year and then I'd need to come up with another lunch-hour idea. I had no idea how successful it would become and how long it would last; it's still going strong." \nThrash said one of the keys to Retro Dance Night's success is her love of the decade's culture.\n"I think my appeal is that I truly did live and love the 80s and I enjoy sharing that with my audience," she said. "I have a blast and I think it rubs off. I plan to boogie oogie oogie and bang my head for as long as I possibly can!" \nThrash plays a key part in the event's success, Kubiak said.\n"The key to Retro Dance Night's success is definitely the personality of Pam Thrash," he said. "Pam Thrash has definitely helped make Retro Dance Night what it is today by her love of the 80s genre as well as her life experiences during that decade. Her radio-friendly personality also shines through at Axis during Retro Dance Nights when she excites the crowd to sing and dance to their favorite retro hits."\nAnother factor involved in Retro Dance Night's success are the people who love the 80s culture and don't want to see the 80s die. Radio programs such as Pam Thrash's Retro Lunch Hour, as well as many programs dedicated to the 80s era, such as "I Love the 80s" on VH1, have kept the spirit of the culture alive. Television and movies have helped keep the 80s alive as well by going retro on the viewers. Both "Alf" and the spirit of "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" thrived still thrive two decades later. \n"I think "retro" is popular everywhere. There's a large population of people who grew up in the 80s here and they enjoy remembering days of past. College students and younger people enjoy the silliness of it all. The outfits and the music were really diverse and the fashion was crazy. It's fun to look back it," Thrash said.\nThe 80s do not seem to be fizzling out just yet; on the contrary the 80s culture seems to be more popular than ever in today's market. \nOne could expect many unexpected occurrences at Retro Dance Nights such as random guys showing up with full Kiss attire, bride and grooms in full attire and even people on stage stripping off clothes while strutting their stuff, Thrash said. Anything goes at Retro Dance Nights and the party never seems to end, thanks to a couple hundred retro CDs Thrash spins out on her turntable. Thrash said some might also be surprised how much of today's music is influenced by the "retro" scene. \n"Many current songs sample or cover some of the older songs. The past is always present, so to speak" said Thrash.\nThe nigth can feature everything from the Electric Slide on stage and people requesting their favorite "retro" songs such as Kenny Loggins' "Footloose", Def Leopard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean."\n"It's a fun night to be yourself and let loose. It's only once a month and it's a one-of-a-kind event. Plus, you just never know what's going to happen," Thrash said.