A longtime Orlando DJ and club owner will host a talk this weekend about Orange Avenue nightclub life and the dance-music scene of the 1980s and 90s.
Coffee and Conversations: Dance Music in Central Florida will take place on Sunday, March 5, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orange County Regional History Center, which is located at 65 E Central Boulevard in downtown Orlando.
John Gardner, who owned and operated Barbarella and Independent Bar, among many other businesses in downtown Orlando, will join a curator to offer his perspective about the center’s latest exhibition, Figurehead: Music & Mayhem in Orlando’s Underground.
The talk will focus on a variety of topics including Gardner’s residency at nightclubs along Orange Avenue, as well as the dance-music scene of the 1980s and 1990s in Orlando. Gardner will also share stories of some of the rock shows that took place at his venue, including those by the Smashing Pumpkins and The Flaming Lips.
For more information on this event, or to register to attend, visit the Coffee & Conversations: Dance Music in Central Florida event page.