You’ve flown high with them for two summers, and now they are bringing you two floors of fun seven days a week with Vodka Soda/Bottoms Up in Hell’s Kitchen. I sat down with my favorite duo in NYC to find out what the secret to their success is, and their answers might surprise you. Oh, and a disclaimer to any DJ that they hire: Don’t play “When Love Takes Over”!
How long have you known each other?
Shawn: Matthew and I were the first bartenders hired to open Bar-Tini many moons ago, and immediately realized we’d found our long-lost sister in each other.
What made you guys want to work together and open a party like Fly two years ago?
Matthew: Since meeting, Shawn and I had talked about producing our own event someday. In the spring of 2014, the time seemed right to take what each of us had learned in producing past events (Summer Camp, Griffin Sundays, etc.) and join forces to create what became FLY Sundays.
Did you ever anticipate it being the juggernaut that it is?
Matthew: I think we both knew the brand we were creating was something special, not to mention Monarch’s unparalleled rooftop, but neither of us were anticipating the milestones we’ve reached in just two seasons.
Shawn: The New York Times; over 2,000 people returning for our 2015 reopening day in May; our Pride events. All spectacular stuff, and pretty much blew us away in the moment.
What do you think has been the secret to that success?
Matthew: We really try to stay true to our guts and only sign on to things we believe in and/or helped conceive. There’s a lot of nightlife options for New Yorkers to enjoy, almost to a point of over-saturation, and we wanna make sure what our brand is offering as a product is always clear to the S&M guests.
What is the other’s greatest strength and weakness as a partner?
Shawn: We’re the perfect yin and yang duo; wherever one of us may be lacking a bit in, the other makes up for it, which is what makes us so strong as a team.
What do you think is the biggest misconception that the public has of you two, or producers/promoters in general?
Matthew & Shawn: That it’s easy! It’s a tough, tough business for continuity. It really does take daily effort and innovation to keep the train on the tracks and attach new cabooses on it as we go. When doing it “right,” it is time consuming and requires a lot of effort and energy.
What can we expect from you as the event producers at Vodka Soda/Bottoms Up?
Matthew: A friendly, fresh and fun place to go with a mix of guests who we think are NYC’s finest around. Over the last four weekends, we’ve seen thousands come through the door, bringing a spirit that we, Richie, and his partners had all hoped for, and we only envision it growing even more. Also, expect to see some fun VSBU weeknight programming coming as well.
What do you think makes your parties and aesthetic different from others?
Matthew: I think Shawn and I really pride ourselves on presenting events where everyone feels welcome. We both try our best to greet everyone we can and make it clear that without them in the room, we wouldn’t be there. I think sometimes promoters forget that they are still in the business of hospitality. Esthetically? I’m not sure. We do have some really good-looking friends I guess—namely the Empire State Building!
Shawn: Matthew and I have worked for years in the service industry, be it as waiters, bartenders, bussers, managers, etc., so we truly do respect the nuts and bolts that make an operation run smoothly, and we keep that in mind when producing events.
As previous bartenders, what’s your least favorite thing to make? Please don’t say Jägerbombs; I will be crushed!
Matthew: Mojitos. I used to have to do some serious mixology when I bartended in Malibu, Calif., which is way different than the kind of volume-based bartending I’ve done in NYC. Coincidentally, mojitos are my favorite to drink, though I know better than to order them when I go out in the city.
Shawn: I second, third and fourth that: MOJITOS! The only mint I’m giving out behind a bar is maybe a stick of gum!
What’s your favorite thing to do when you have downtime?
Shawn: Oh, definitely a massage. And couch, pug, boyfriend and a movie marathon are in the mix, too. Basically, being anti-social for a minute!
Matthew: EAT. I’m blessed with a husband who can cook, so I get treated pretty well when I lock myself inside on Mondays.
Shawn, I met you when you did SPF at the Dream Hotel three years ago. You actually gave me my first gig. With all the success you have had since then, what keeps you so humble?
Shawn: I just feel like one of the things that’s gotten me where I am in life is I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt and treat people with respect. I’m not reinventing the wheel; I just try to be kind to everyone and treat them the way I’d wanna be treated.
Matthew – or should I say Mathieu? – what can we expect in 2016 from you musically?
Matthew: It’s been incredible to finally have my music out there in the world’s ears. It was a long journey putting my EP “Here” together, but I couldn’t imagine not making music. 2016 is gonna be full of new music, most likely another record and live shows.
If you could trade places with anyone in nightlife for a day, who would it be and why?
Shawn: How about each other? Like a Freaky Friday moment where I wake up in Matthew’s body, and he wakes up in mine, and we have to carry on each of our lives for a whole 24 hours!
Matthew: Yes, then I can finally have a dog for a day! I’m starting to get the dog itch. I want a one!
You guys hear music 24/7 at work. Is there any one song or artist you are just over?
Shawn: There aren’t any artists per say that we are over, but there are certainly songs by certain artists we are over, such as, but not limited to: “Bad Romance,” “Single Ladies,” “Commander,” “Happiness,” “When Love Takes Over,” etc.
Matthew: Definitely “When Love Takes Over.” When I bartended in the Pines in ’09, I think I heard that song 20 times per shift. And then Kelly ended up coming to the island in person to remind me just how much I “loved” the song.
What’s one thing you wish could change in the NYC gay scene?
Matthew: I wish we’d all be a little more nice to each other. Or, real. A real nice. There’s a big difference. We’ve all had our challenges of trying to fit in when we were kids, because we were immediately thrown into a setting where we all felt “different” or like an alien (there’s a song called “Alien” on my EP about this very subject). Just remember, we’re all the same inside, and compassion and kindness go a long way.
Can you share a favorite memory from your career?
Shawn & Matthew: Definitely our feature and photo in The Times. Truly a life moment for both of us.
What’s the best rumor you ever heard about yourself?
Matthew: There’s not really a specific rumor I’ve heard, but I do get once in awhile, when really having the chance to talk to someone, that I’m actually a nice guy. [laughs] I think I may suffer from that thing called RBF, but I usually don’t bite, I promise!
With you both having such grueling day jobs, how do you find the time to do everything else?
Shawn: With working between the 80-90 hours between day and night each week, having a set schedule is what works best.
Matthew: I am always on my phone doing work, be it promoting, sending emails, replying to inquiries. It really never ends, and drives the hubby and friends crazy on occasion. Even I’m ready to toss it into the Hudson sometimes. But this line of work is very unpredictably hands-on where you have to really be on your toes 24/7. It’s kind of the name of the game.
What’s next for you guys?
Matthew: We’re really excited to move into the New Year with the great opportunity of producing Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at such an awesome venue like Vodka Soda & Bottoms Up. Richie Friendly and his partners really hit the ball out of the park with this space. Once the snow melts and warm weather is back (although it’s been a balmy December so far!), we’ll of course be gearing up for our third year of FLY Sundays, which will start again in May.
