If you have ever been to a Jason Aldean concert, chances are you have heard the pre-show magic and perhaps even seen the dark, spiked up hair of one of the most sought after DJ’s in the country. His name is Dee Jay Silver, but you probably already knew that. A staple in the producing and mixing world for the last 15 years or so, Silver met Aldean in 2010 while DJing out in Vegas during ACM Awards week. And the rest, they say, is a great time and an even greater friendship. The 2018 “High Noon Neon Tour” marked his ninth time riding the Aldean bus around the country, performing to thousands of hardcore fans at festivals and arenas all over. In addition, he also shared the stage this past year on Chris Young’s Losing Sleep World Tour, featuring Dan + Shay and Morgan Evans.
And then of course, there is the Dee Jay Silver exclusive. Whether it’s a honky tonk on Lower Broad in Nashville or one of Vegas’s trendiest nightclubs, Silver is sure to crank up the party until the wee hours of the morning. And that includes a residency at his best friend’s new Broadway bar, finishing out strong with two dates left in December (the 2nd and the 22nd in case you want to make plans!)
“I might be a little bias, but this is the best place in Nashville as far as DJing is concerned. This place is just next level. I’m proud of Jason for what he’s got and proud to be a part of it,” Silver shares with The Country Note.
So, what is the difference between playing a Broadway set in Music City and a high rollin’ club in Sin City?
“A honky tonk in Nashville is a good time but you have to wear “gloves” so to speak. Since there is no cover, you get a mix of everybody. People dressed up from an event, people off the street. You have to play country when you can. There are more censors. . .. more edits. Vegas is whatever goes. You’re paying for the experience. You know what you’re getting into. . . “He pauses for a quick chuckle. “You don’t go to Vegas to hear Nashville.”
Those who want the “no gloves” approach will be able to hear Silver out in Vegas the week of December 6-15th. He’ll be headlining shows inside the Gold Buckle Zone at the MGM during the National Finals Rodeo. And of course, he’ll have residencies in the gambling capital of the world next year. Never one to slow down, his team is also planning future residencies in Boston, Atlantic City, Atlanta, and San Diego.
No matter where he plays, you can expect a mix of country, rap, pop, and whatever else he and his manager decide to throw into the set list. Because he’ll be the first to tell you, none of it is preprogramed. We noticed that a few weeks back at the Exit In over in Elliston Place. Silver kicked off CMA Week in Nashville at the CMA Budweiser show, featuring The Sisterhood, Kassi Ashton, Clare Dunn, and Lindsay Ell. Lauren Alaina’s “Ladies of the 90s” spliced together with Britney Spears, “Hit Me Baby One More Time” eventually led to old school Alabama seasoned with the spices of Bruno Mars and possibly even Three Dog Night.
“If I like it, I play it. If I don’t like it, I don’t play it. Music is all about emotions and what you can remember and pulling out a feeling of what this song means to you. If you don’t mix in the old with the new, you’re missing a whole other world,” Silver explains on the other end of the phone.
Speaking of emotion, the famed DJ producer extraordinaire has new “baby making” music out as he likes to call it. “Safe Zone” featuring his buddy Cort Carpenter and the romantic chords of a Spanish guitar, came out Friday, November 16th, following his previous singles of “Just Got Paid” (with Austin Webb) and “Made to Do”.
With opening lyrics like “Let your hair down low. We can take it slow. I wanna trace the tattoo and find out where it goes. Flicker of the candle. Caught up in the flow. It ain’t too hot to handle. . . take out, take out my safe zone. . .” it’s no wonder he jokingly (or maybe not) asked his publicist if he could put “take your birth control” on the press release. Cleary that didn’t fly. Either way, this track is bound for a good time, whether played under the disco ball with a dance floor full of strangers or played in a bedroom full of lit candles and two lovers.
It may have been the latter situation that will be taking Silver and his family of 3 to a family of 4 in the spring of 2019. Congratulations to John Perdue (Silver’s real name) and his wife, Jenna, as they are expecting baby #2 in April. But don’t ask them the sex of the baby. Because they don’t know and they’re not going to find out. The good news follows baby #1’s good news of spreading holiday cheer and starting his own program at just two years old (okay. . . mom and dad may have helped a little). Wake Silver Perdue is learning the meaning of giving back even at such a young age. According to his proud daddy, Wake donated his birthday presents from his 2nd birthday to sick kids in the hospital. And he didn’t even have a terrible two tantrum, as some would expect a child to do at that age. In fact, Wake walked around and handed them out! And now he’s doing it again, just in time for Christmas!
“I just want him to have a great life and understand that not every kid has a great life,” Silver shared. Surprisingly, it became clear to Silver and wife Jenna while at the hospital recently for a procedure regarding their growing unborn child.
“They told us Jenna had a miscarriage, so we were in the hospital. We found that by way of a miracle, the new baby was perfectly healthy! But thru that experience, we saw kids who don’t have anything. Some didn’t even have pajamas—just the hospital cloth nightgowns. And as wealthy as Williamson County is, it’s shocking.”
And so came “Wake’s Friends”. The Perdue family is collecting new toys and pajamas (sizes newborn to 18 years old) throughout the holiday season to be donated to the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. You can mail the items to Wake’s Friends, PO Box 682068, Franklin, TN 37068, where 100% of the proceeds are going straight to Silver and therefore, straight to the hospital. He checks the box himself every day and is overwhelmed at gifts coming in from all over the world.
“Literally no kid should be cold or have to go thru what these kids are going thru and if there’s one second of my life where I can do anything, or Jenna can do anything, we’re gonna do it.”
And they are doing it indeed! You can still catch Silver on the last few remaining 2018 dates of Aldean’s tour and of course, on and off in Vegas at the hottest nightclubs on the strip. And if you can’t see him in person, you can always listen to his syndicated radio show, “The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver,” airing via Compass Media Networks every Friday and Saturday night.
To keep up with the latest, check out everything on www.deejaysilver.com and find him on Twitter and Instagram @deejaysilver1.
We are sure we’ll be “Burnin’ It Down” with you soon, Silver in this “Crazy Town”! 😉