In the men's toilet of the Rogue bar, scribbled in black marker above the single urinal, are the words: "Rock 'n' Roll muthafuckers!"
Outside, William Reed howls the same words from his coffin-sized DJ booth. The club's grainy PA sends the words reverberating around the club. As a sign of appreciation, scores of sweaty clubbers raise their beer bottles.
Sensing the moment, Reed fiddles frantically with his assorted technical gadgetry. Within a heartbeat the high-pitched screech of Sting's "Roxanne" washes over the club.
The crowd shrieks in delight. Reed looks at the happy faces and lets out a cackle. He's in his element.
Tonight is the first anniversary of Shake!, a rock 'n' roll dance weekly hosted by Reed (under his alias DJ William F#cking Reed) and "startender" Katie Rose of the all-girl punk rock outfit "Les Hells On Heels" at the Rogue on Scottsdale Road.
Shake! has arguably become the hottest Saturday night-out in the city. It routinely attracts the Valley's most prominent fashionistas and was recently voted "Best Dance Night" in Phoenix by a local newspaper.
Reed is the one who has made it happen.
He is a connoisseur of the rock genre and hand picks his set every week from more than 2,000 records and CDs. It's a master class in rock history, his fans say, accessible to both the discerning and the unseasoned.
Reed's friend and Shake! resident DJ Dave Siefert (alias "DJ Dirty Dave") says it's Reed's understanding of his audience that sets him apart.
"William simply has a perfect understanding of what gets people dancing at midnight on a Saturday night," he says.
Tonight Reed plays a breathless two-hour set, dropping a patchwork of indie, post-punk, mod, glam, garage, Brit-punk, metal and power pop for hundreds of adoring revelers. Above his head, hordes of multi-colored balloons fill the club's ceiling, occasionally floating down to rest on carefully styled haircuts or tiny uninhabited squares of checkered floor.
Reinventing rock
In its short year of existence, Shake! has pushed the envelope of traditional club culture. The night regularly features midnight bar-top fashion shows by local fashion designer Debris Blanc, and Reed spends all week frantically raiding his impressive contacts book for guest DJs. A stream of high-profile guests includes the likes of BrightEyes, Electric Six and Nick Zinner of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's.
Twenty-eight-year-old Reed also seems to have won over the local press, with Shake! often garnering comparisons to renowned dance parties like L.A.'s Club Bang and even New York's Misshapes.
Humble beginnings
It was only a year ago when Reed's best friend Katie Rose landed a job bar tending at the Rogue.
"Katie asked me to play a few records," Reed recalls. "But I knew it was a traditionally tough-guy bar, so I told the owner I would only do it if I could play the rock tunes I wanted, not punk."
After a few weeks of the new musical ethos, the tough-guy crowd migrated to the Rogue bar on the west side of Phoenix and the newly named Shake! began to attract a more diverse mix of music lovers.
Gena Leigh, an airline steward who recently returned to Phoenix after six months away, says she can't believe the transformation.
"I used to come here a lot when it was just starting up and it was completely different," she says. "I used to stand shoulder to shoulder with bikers mostly."
Rogue owner Mark Maertons denies the venue was ever a "grungy biker-bar," but concedes happily that Reed and Shake! have been instrumental in introducing a "positive energy."
"Numbers are at least 25 percent up since William brought in the hipster crowd," he says.
Along with the right music and the right venue, the success of Shake! is also a product of one particular piece of ingenious marketing. On one of the first flyers for Shake!, Reed boasted the arrival of a celebrity bartender, or "startender," who just happened to be his co-promoter, Katie Rose.
Almost 6 feet tall, with flaming red hair, Rose looks every inch the poster girl. The illusion of celebrity soon attracted throngs of hipsters. As a testament to the gimmick, other bars like Palo Verde lounge in Tempe and Bikini lounge in Phoenix began using the idea to promote their own club nights.
But although Rose's fame is largely the result of marketing, Reed himself is arguably a more authentic local celebrity.
He has - quite simply - spearheaded a rock revival in Phoenix, according to Siefert, who also runs a rock night called Hot Pink at Bar Caramba in Phoenix. Siefert says the success of Shake! has inspired a number of similar club nights to open up around the city.
"He wouldn't want to take the credit, but William was really the first to see the potential of rock 'n' roll and start playing it in clubs here," he says.
But it's not just Reed's musical and marketing talents that have endeared him to so many local clubbers; it's Reed himself.
As one adoring Shake! regular puts it, Reed is a "modern day Renaissance man."
According to Stephen Lemons, author of the "Inferno" nightlife column in the Phoenix New Times, it's all a matter of charm.
"Sure, William's a local celeb," he says. "There are a lot of good DJs out there who have all the charisma of a wet dish rag, but say what you will about William Reed, he ain't no wet dishrag. William has that star quality; I mean he's a very stylish cat."
Indeed, a flyer for one local rock night, Filthy/Gorgeous at Ain't Nobody's Bizness, entices customers with the simple chance to "come hang out with DJ William Reed."
But Reed shrugs off any talk of celebrity status.
"I really don't like labels," he says. "I mean Filthy/Gorgeous is no big deal. I just hang out, have a few drinks, and people come say 'hi'."
Reed's girlfriend, Celine Hacche, laughs at his modesty. "He's totally a local celebrity," she says. "A week doesn't go by without some article being published about him. I mean he can barely go to the toilet without being recognized somewhere."
Queer eye
Tonight at the Rogue, Reed, dressed in a tight, closely embroidered denim shirt, his hair impeccably messy, struts around collecting handshakes and compliments.
"Oh my God, you look fantastic," shrieks Devon Rogers, a Phoenix stylist and one of William's main aides in organizing Shake! "William has great taste," he adds later. "He appreciates the good things in life."
Although he's straight, Reed's obvious penchant for fashion and style has led to some not-so-quiet speculation about his sexuality.
"I've been labeled gay a lot," Reed says. "But if anything, I take that as a compliment. I mean I'm very comfortable with my sexuality. But yeah, in terms of hairstyle, fashion and overall style, I certainly take my cues from the gay community.
"I mean I certainly don't look to the straight community for style tips."
Shake! has established a reputation as a gay friendly night, but its ethos is more about general "openness," according to Reed. "All walks of life are welcome at Shake!," he says. "Gay, straight, punker, mod, cowboy, goth, hipster, whatever - bring 'em on."
Indeed, Reed says he thinks Shake! is just one piece of a wider movement in the Valley toward more diversity.
"There's definitely still a cowboy culture here, but I really think Phoenix is changing," he says.
Rogers agrees. "Phoenix is slowly becoming more open, and with Shake!, we really wanted to contribute to that," he says.
Reed says Rogers is a candidate for "best dressed man in Phoenix" and from the looks of tonight's outfit, it's hard to disagree. The 25-year-old stylist is wearing black studded biker boots with very short shorts. On his waist is a belt with Velcro flags and he wears a silver sequined jacket over a gray T-shirt.
"I'm going for a gay-biker-in-high-school-P.E-class-playing-flag-football look," he says in one breath.
Rogers is not the only flamboyant dresser in the crowd. Sitting next to him at the bar, a guy in an all-white John Travolta suit chats to a guy in a bear mask. No one gives the pair a second look.
Rogers says he's delighted by all the outfits.
"Traditionally, Arizona has always been a very conservative place, but openness is really spreading," he says.
Man at work
A few mornings before the Shake! anniversary, Reed reclines in the bar of The Clarendon Hotel in downtown Phoenix.
He looks the consummate young professional: perfectly tailored pinstripe suit and a pair of aviator sunglasses dangling nonchalantly from his suit pocket. It is an almost complete transformation.
Reed is the director of marketing for the Clarendon, and his outfit reflects the giant contrast between his daytime and nighttime jobs.
"No one else here likes to dress smart," he says. "But I'm dealing with customers all day, so it's important to give the right impression."
In 2004, after a few unsuccessful stints in publishing, Reed met local entrepreneurs Ben Brethel and Steve Wilson at a dinner party. Brethel and Wilson had just bought the dilapidated Clarendon and were starting to make it over into a "luxury boutique hotel."
Their vision was to create an independent alternative to what Wilson calls the "beige" hotels that dominate downtown Phoenix. The result is a stylish and funky, pop-art-inspired property with more than 100 rooms that go for $130 a night.
Since the renovation, the hotel has become a popular destination for traveling artists, including the likes of The Black Eyed Peas and Aerosmith.
Initially the owners approached Reed because they knew he was a DJ and they wanted his advice on local music compilations they were planning to make and leave in the hotel's guest rooms. But the conversation didn't stop at music.
"I think I just saw their vision," Reed says.
The owners immediately offered Reed a job, and over the next two years his influence grew steadily.
"At first we recruited him just as a receptionist, but pretty soon I was saying to Ben, 'This guy's pretty good,' " Wilson says.
Reed's nametag now says "Director of Marketing," but he acts almost like a third manager.
"They're both great friends of mine, and professionally I feel on a par with them now," he says of Brethel and Wilson.
Indeed there are traces of Reed, the master of publicity, all around the hotel. The walls in the lobby and bar are littered with clippings from gushing articles and reviews of the hotel. There are also clippings of Reed in his guise as Shake! DJ, although he insists he didn't put those up. Wilson confirms the story.
"We're just so proud of this guy," he says, putting his arm round Reed. "He's done a hell of a lot in the last year and a half."
With a blossoming career at The Clarendon and the rise of Shake!, Reed is the picture of the successful young professional. He says he'd rather not discuss earnings, but admits life is comfortable.
"Let's just say I can maintain a few extra-curricular activities," he says with a grin.
Lifestyle guru
At 6 p.m Reed says his goodbyes to the hotel staff and heads for his white Honda. He's been up since 7:30 a.m., but now, when most people are winding down, he's still full of impish energy.
Inside the car he ignores the ignition and reaches into the back seat, which is awash with press releases and promotional CDs.
"Listen to this," he says. It's Bloc Party, a British art-rock outfit whose debut album, "Silent Alarm," was greeted with critical praise on both sides of the Atlantic but who largely remain an underground phenomenon in the United States. "Great album," Reed says, shaking his head, "truly great album."
Reed chatters constantly about the new wave of "British invasion" in rock, which he says is dominating the "scene."
British invasion is not a new concept - it dates back to The Beatles and Rolling Stones - but in recent years a new generation of British acts like Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party have started to make a big impact stateside.
"A really solid UK band seems to arrive every month at the moment; it's amazing," Reed says. "I suppose it's something to do with the country's musical roots; I mean all the bands seem to complement and work off each other."
The most recent British export is The Arctic Monkeys, a Sheffield-based band whose debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" recently became Britain's fastest-selling album of all time. Reed says the album is "very special." He agreed with the group's record label to incorporate its U.S album release party with Shake!'s first anniversary.
"I played most of their album and we gave away a lot of free stuff," Reed says.
Indeed, Reed appears to have embraced the British in more ways than one; he is what you might call "Anglo cool." He uses the word "mate" and "brilliant" as often as any bona fide Londoner and rides a Vespa scooter, the quintessential 1950s' "mod" accessory.
But, again, he shakes his head at such labels.
"I suppose I don't like it in the same way I don't like being labeled metro sexual," he says. "These things could be considered fads, whereas any elements in me have always been a part of my persona."
Reed prefers to talk about "taste" and prides himself on having a "discerning" understanding of the good things in life.
In his tiny downtown apartment the decor is achingly cool; a bright red sofa is the centerpiece of a minimalist arrangement. Tucked away in one corner is Reed's enormous music collection and in the other a small kitchen, crammed with elaborate cooking utensils and organic food. Whereas most bachelors would happily settle for reheated pizza, Reed says he loves to cook.
"I find it's a great way to unwind and decompress," he says. "Some guys like to go out and fight; I find this is the best way to get my release."
Perhaps the largest space, however, is devoted to Reed's wardrobe, which is packed full of colorful and neatly arranged outfits. Reed pulls out a few favorites, laying a pair of red cords on the bed and matching them with a neatly embroidered shirt custom-made by local designer Angela Johnson.
Reed is at his most animated when talking about his passions for music, fashion or food. With another characteristic cackle, he pulls out a pair of outrageous $300 hot-pink dress shoes and launches into a monologue about local designers.
"I love to buy from local designers," he says, ticking off about 20 local names. "I mean, they can tailor clothes exactly to your look and y'know, really funk shit up."
One dabble too many
Reed says he developed his sense of individuality while living in Germany. Although born in Texas, Reed's father was in the U.S military and Reed spent most of his early years zigzagging from the states to the city of Nuremberg.
In 1989 just before the Berlin Wall came down, Reed, then a teenager, and his family finally settled permanently in Heidelberg.
"Those were my definitive years," he says. While most teens were playing Nintendo, Reed was gallivanting through the great European cities of Amsterdam, Paris and London.
"Culturally, I was living in this insanely diverse environment and it really helped to open my mind," he says. "I had this one friend whose sister was like this untouchable blonde, and she was really into music. I developed a lot of my musical tastes from her."
Reed also picked up some bad habits in Europe.
"I used to smoke weed quite heavily," he says. "I was at an international school, but my hash dealer was German. I used to get U.S hip-hop records sent over for him through the military and in return, y'know, he used to sort me out..."
Reed moved back to the states and Phoenix in 1996, but the drug use continued. The Southwest was in the throes of rave culture and Reed spent a lot of his time helping to organize huge underground raves and full-moon desert parties.
"Some of the most incredible moments of my life were had out there," he says. "I mean there's a real magic about the open desert."
But Reed says he doesn't dabble in drugs any more. One rave too many decided that.
"I was at this event with a friend of mine and we were pretty fucked up -- I mean all sorts of hallucinogens - but I remember getting this vivid thought like, 'I'm just a consumer here; I'm not contributing anything.' I mean that hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, 'I really want to create something.' After that I traded in any dabbling tendencies for a business persona. I moved on."
He knows there are still those who bring drugs to Shake!
"I know there's a certain crowd that uses a lot of coke, but in general, I don't think it's that significant. I mean, the rave scene here is pretty dead. I think, or I like to think, people mainly come for the music."
Success story
At the Shake! first anniversary the music is finished and the dance floor is finally empty. Reed collapses triumphantly into a comfy chair and reflects happily on the night. He looks exhausted in his now-crumpled and sweaty denim shirt, but he's still smiling. Taking a celebratory swig on his bottle of beer, he lets out a huge breath of air. "A big success," he says. "Tonight was definitely a big success."
The last few revelers are stumbling drunkenly out of the club and Reed smiles at them as they leave. "I know people probably think the crowds here are a little cliquey," he says. "But only in the sense that we desire open-minded people who like to have fun and don't pass judgment. The only types unwelcome here are the ass-grabbing meatheads.
"That's what Scottsdale is for."
Reach the reporter at sam.friedman@asu.edu.
