Why wait until #ThrowbackThursday when there are now Nostalgia Wednesdays?
CASA Restaurant & Lounge, located at 3607 E. Tremont Avenue, has started hosting Nostalgia Wednesdays to cater to the 1970 TO 2000 music crowd.
From 6 to 11 p.m., CASA will spin throwback music, feature movies and even commercials from that same period to create an atmosphere of nostalgia, when films and tunes weren’t as accessible as they are today.
Music genres on Nostalgia Wednesdays include funk/soul and classic rock from the 70s, new wave and freestyle from the 80s, alternative rock and grunge from the 80s and 90s and hip hop, house and R&B from the 90s/early 2000s.
The restaurant will also play classic movies including the 1979 action thriller The Warriors and the 1987 romantic dance drama Dirty Dancing. Since music will be playing simultaneously, the movies will be muted.
CASA will also show vintage commercials from the same time period, including the classic slinky commercials from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
“In my opinion, the further back you go, the more valuable music becomes – because it will never be made the same again,” said Rick Quintana, also known by his DJ moniker, DJ Menyu, and has been DJing since age ten. “The goal of this event was to stand out from all of the other bars on East Tremont Avenue by hosting something original. We believe that this event will be unique enough to attract customers and special enough to keep going every Wednesday night.”
Quintana said that he along with CASA have promoted the weekly event through social media, and also plan to host live music in the coming months.
DJ Menyu, a south Bronx-born DJ who is also a producer, beatboxer, poet and vocalist, has 27 years of experience as a DJ and has played numerous venues in the Bronx and Manhattan, including Webster Hall, Santo’s Party House, L(e) Poisson Rouge, Carroll Place and Public House, among others.
‘The Iron Chef Mixologist’ also formed the Spoken Word Poetry Club at Cardinal Spellman High School, where he has been a teacher for the last 20 years. The club has been around for a dozen years.
What he loves about spinning tunes on turntables is the ability to blend and mix music from two completely difference genres, such as hip hop and disco.
“DJ Menyu and I have had good conservations about this event – and we wanted to create a feel good environment for our customers in a retro setting,” said Sammy Beltron, owner of CASA. “This event is a way for all generations to keep in touch with the music that helped them become who they are today.”
Beltron, also born and raised in the south Bronx, originally met Menyu at a CASA poetry night four years ago, and discovered that Menyu was Sammy’s daughter’s teacher at Cardinal Spellman.
“He (Menyu) has a real appreciation for the heritage of the Bronx, and that is one of the factors which makes him so knowledgable with and successful at what he does,” Beltron added.
For more information on CASA and their Nostalgia Wednesdays, follow them on Instagram @casabx. For more information on DJ Menyu, follow him on IG @djmenyu.
