High fiving with Liar Mouth and Jackola

(Credit: KT Moon)

For some people, the smell of mentho-lyptus is synonymous with health — recovery was never complete without one greasy night spent with the pungent salve. Others flash back to a dark warehouse party between 1992 and 2002 where they ate a ten pack, gnashed a binky, spun glow sticks from their shoe strings, and had some stranger rub “Vapo” all over their bodies while drinking orange juice and dancing to the rhythm of Electronic Dance Music.

Almost 30 years after the first EDM warehouse parties in Indy, DJs and promoters have re-made their mentholated scenes into mainstream events featuring live talent from around the corner and around the world. Locals Only is the site for the city’s newest monthly EDM party, “HIGH FIVE!,” hosted by DJs Liar Mouth (William Joseph Ryan) and Jackola (Jack Shepler). We recently spoke with Ryan and Shepler about turning HIGH FIVE! into a social movement, making Indy a better city, and eating pizza on the moon.

Describe your history with dance music.
Shepler: I worked for BMG Music as an intern in high school and had access to a lot of music. My most-listened-to CDs were Bad Boy Bill mixes, Ultra Dance CDs and the B96 Mixmasters CDs. Listening to these albums made me want to be a DJ, so I bought turntables and a mixer, though they were completely not the right kind. In college I started DJing twice a week at the Mark III Taproom in Muncie, which is when I really got into it. That was a crazy year — I played out 93 times.

Ryan: I used to listen to some dance music here and there like everybody else. But the first time I ever really, really heard the beat calling was on the disco floor in West London. We locked ears in the laser light, and she's been my lover ever since.

How are you going to promote social change with these new dance parties?
Shepler: I DJ for rock shows and “hipster dance parties” from time to time, as well as play for the GLBT scene, but I noticed these three scenes are generally pretty separate. The idea behind High Five is to bring together the dance music crowds of Indy... let's dance! We want to see dance floors packed, dancing to the beat, letting loose... therapy on the dance floor.

Ryan: Music is an incredible force, and usually when people talk about social change through music it is something that is focused on the lyrics in songs. But I'm pretty damn certain that the perfect dance beat can make you start hugging your enemies just the same.

How is HIGH FIVE! different from other dance parties in the city?
Shepler: Well, for one, we’re doing it at a venue with brand-new sound. Locals Only actually has some nice bass now, and we don't have to lug it in for the party! Plus their drinks aren't super-expensive. High fives all around.

When you’re not making dance music, what do you do?
Shepler: I design and develop websites for Small Box Web Design in Broad Ripple. In many ways my real job crosses over into my dance music world, such as designing flyers for my and other promoters’ events. Plus I carry over my knowledge of marketing and promoting via the interweb. I like to be involved in creative stuff.

Ryan: I am finishing up my communications degree from IUPUI, working at the Aristocrat Pub (I am the best waiter in the city, you know), helping my friends and fellow musicians with their dreams and pursuits in any way I can. I am also working on my first children's book. Hanging with my best friend and constant companion, the little furry love of my life my puppy dog, Andre. He's not just my dog… he's also my dawg.

Describe your perfect pizza date.
Shepler: Sausage and veggies, yum! By the way, the best pizza in town is at Datsa. Check it out!

Ryan: OK, picture this: It’s the year 3000, and they just built the first lunar pizza shop on the moon. So there I am with my food boyfriend Benny Sanders, and we’ve got 1 million space beers, all the moon babes, and all the great new toppings they'll have in the future. Zero gravity slices… just imagine!

Indianapolis: Love it or leave it?
Shepler: I could see myself in a bigger city some day, but for now Indy is where it’s at. It might be easier to just up and move to a bigger city, but I'm the type of person that would rather be a part of a growing community.

Ryan: This is my home, the land of Vonnegut, James Whitcomb Riley, Oscar Robertson. These people are like the forefathers of Indy, and their passions and achievements remind me how much greatness can be created right here. I love this place a lot, but I also get upset with it. I feel constantly driven to make it a better place.

Look for Shepler and Ryan the third Saturday of each month at Locals Only, 2449 E. 56th St.