Boomer DJ Rob Schmidt knows what people around his age want, and need: a dance party with tunes from their youth to get them up and moving. For Alameda Post, I went to our local senior center one recent afternoon to cover their inaugural Boomer Dance Party. It was a wild success and more are being planned in the future.
Rob told me that he is filling a genuine need, "What is called 'oldies' music today refers to music from the '80s and '90s. In 2007, KABL, the legendary radio station that broadcast '50s and '60s music went off the air. You might think that older folks would just go to Spotify or Pandora and create a profile, but they don't."
"They might find music from the '50s and '60s, but there is no place where they can go to dance to that music," he continued, "Maybe if they are lucky they will attend a grandchild's wedding and the deejay at the reception will spin a couple Sinatra or Bobby Darin tunes." And getting people on their feet is part of Rob's ultimate goal: "Bottom line is that older people need to keep moving and not disappear into the ennui that is bad enough for older folks."
Read the rest: First Boomer Dance Party at Mastick a Hopping Success