the 941

So I promised that I wouldn’t write about parties, but alas, here I am, divulging to the Internet world Sarasota’s biggest secret — in spite of our picturesque reputation and relatively quiet population, some people here can throw really killer parties. It’s the combination of a lot of regular townies, some visiting college kids and a few stealthy minors, looking to ring in the next day’s sunrise with last night’s mistakes. I’m talking the whole shebang: alcohol flowing like crazy, houses packed to the brink, music way too loud and… open to the public?

That’s right. A house party that anyone — literally — can go to.

If you were driving down Cocoanut or 17th Street one late night last week, with your windows rolled down, enjoying that ocean air, you probably heard it: an undercurrent of loud music and the sounds of laughing people rumbling beneath the road. In a quaint, typical downtown house, someone was throwing a major fiesta, and I was going.

As I wandered into the house’s backyard, I thought three things. First, ”Why isn’t anyone looking at me funny for being here? I must be so out of place, considering that I know literally no one.” Second, “There are a ton of people crammed into this backyard.” And finally, “How in God’s name did they fit that whole band into this shed?”

The unique beauty of this particular party was comprised of all three of those things: unconditional acceptance, a massive crowd and music. Despite the fact that it was clearly someone’s house, a circumstance that any other time would have made for a very exclusive event, it was a gathering that any Sarasotaian could go to, no questions asked. Not only was it a social gathering, it was an opportunity to see some great local music. Both MeteorEyes and This Is an Adventure, two local popular electronica-inspired artists, rocked the house. I almost forgot: It was free, too.

Sometimes, the best summer activities don’t need to revolve around the money that we don’t have, or the plans that we too often make. Sometimes, we just need to follow our ears.

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