Sex, Love, and the Gathering Spot…

It was all about “sex and love” Thursday night at the dance party presented by WUAG to celebrate the recent opening of the Gathering Spot on Tate Street.

The spankin’ new Gathering Spot (or “G-Spot” as their sign implies) kicked off its inaugural show with two super-cute golden Labradors watching the door, and a WUAG dance party covering the floor. The party featured local electro-maestro, Workday/Schoolnight, and a double-set from San Diego’s sexy lover, Rafter Roberts.

Up first was Workday/Schoolnight, a project from Greensboro man, Bart Trotman. Trotman warmed the room and had the kids dancing to his borage of politically inspired clicks and whistles which teetered on just the other side of bizarre. The set wasn’t exactly full of as much “sex and love” as the act which followed, but Workday/Schoolnight produced a nice electric vibe to start the evening.

Rafter’s first round was that of the acousmatic band found on Asthmatic Kitty Records. Rafter the band packs a punch of sound from a bare-bones line-up; just drums, a guitar, and a whole lotta talk box (a gizmo made popular by Peter Frampton which is attached to the microphone that allows distorted vocals to be played through the guitar feed.) Roberts’ man on tour, Andy, hits the skins to keep the rhythm throbbing while Roberts goes wild on stage; aggressively thrusting the neck of his guitar to and fro to the beat while pumping lyrics through his talk box amid rambles preaching the glories of sex and love. He is a funny guy who loudly and proudly repeatedly announced the inspiration of every song (and everything) to be all about “sex and love.”

As a DJ, Roberts is much more of an alter-ego than part of a second set. He sits quietly, going almost unnoticed in the corner, carefully constructing the next track on his ipod and pushing knobs on the soundboard while kids dance madly, thrusting their arms in the air (and shots down their throats) as beams of patterned light swirl around the floor.

Rafter’s notes of sex and love, combined with a kicking groove and heavy drinking, really drove the crowd into frenzy. The bar was packed with over 150 inebriated dancers who weren’t afraid to shake what they got, jump on stage, and lose inhibitions to remixed versions of the Talking Heads “Once in a Life Time.”

With all of the drinking and dancing, it wasn’t soon before the barflies started buzzing, and rounds of body shots involving mock fellatio (among a few other positions) began. Bartenders with mega-phones in hand riled the drunken swarm into doing a few things they may regret tomorrow, but that’s to be expected from a place lined with beer pong tables.

Afterward, Roberts declared Greensboro to be totally more fun than Atlanta, and he looks forward to the next time he can breeze by. The barkeeps from the Gathering Spot dug the turn-out, and plan to host more shows in the future. So the next time you’re on Tate Street, be sure to check the newest venue open in the UNCG area.

If electronic indie tunes are your fare, Workday/Schoolnight will be on the Radio Greensboro show on WUAG 103.1 FM Sunday, December 7 at 8 p.m. and always be sure to keep eyes and ears out for the next show presented by WUAG.