On a night out in Santa Monica, a twenty-something-year-old Dennis Owens walks up to the door of a club that is blaring drum and bass music, unsure of what he is about to get himself into.
It’s the late 90s—a time when grunge and indie rock were finding their way into the mainstream music scene. Owens and his friends were accustomed to playing these genres in the bands they were in, but after some time, Owens began to feel dissatisfied with the musical status quo.
As Owens stepped closer to the club’s dancefloor, the crescendo of futuristic electronic beats took over, and he couldn’t help but notice how every single person in the room was dancing with a contagious rhythm.
“You just couldn’t resist the music,” Owens said, “It was an energy that I’ve never experienced before. Everybody was completely immersed in the music—the vibe was unbelievable—and at that point, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do, this is what I want to make people feel.’ That night made me realize I wanted to start the Good Foot.”
From the unexpected roots of drum and bass music emerged the Good Foot, an all-vinyl soul and funk dance party that takes place here in Long Beach. It has since become a local hotspot that infuses the same energy Owens felt that transformative night in Santa Monica into the hearts of its audience.
Owens assumed the role of a recurring vinyl DJ at Good Foot, curating sets that highlighted soul and funk records because those were the genres he loved to play and ignited people to dance. He decided to name the event after his favorite James Brown song, “Get on the Good Foot.”
“James Brown is my musical patron saint; he’s my favorite musical artist of all time. I try and keep everything that I play on the quality of what James Brown’s music represented. A lot of people have The Beatles as their favorite artist, James Brown is my Beatles.”
The Good Foot officially kicked off its journey at Que Sera in Sept. 1998, and by its one-year anniversary, it had a line of people down the block waiting to get in.
“Prior to that I had actually never DJ’d before…I just started spinning records for fun and became a vinyl DJ because back in 1998, well, that’s all there was. But I’ve always loved records…When I was a kid I was that friend who would bring records to my friends’ parties. I was always the one who liked to share music and music became my obsession. Music has always actually been my obsession.”
Owens extended his love of music with Good Foot attendees at Que Sera until Sept. 2011 before starting a new chapter at Alex’s Bar in Sept. 2013.
Owens has had a longstanding relationship with Alex Hernandez, owner of Alex’s Bar, that has spanned over 30 years. Their connection originated from Owen’s band days when Alex and his friends would attend Owen’s gigs.
To this day, Owens has delivered an impressive tally of approximately 1,200 music gigs. He notes his favorite ones as being the Good Foot Christmas parties that take place every year on Dec. 25.
“The very first Good Foot Christmas, believe it or not, was the day that James Brown passed away. It’s almost become kind of a Long Beach tradition in a way, and it’s always free to get in. It’s a good way for people to wind down after the holidays because the holidays are always a high-stress time and people can just come and let loose.”
Owens continues to be a prominent force in the local music scene, spreading the timeless melodies of soul and funk at Alex’s Bar every third Friday of the Month.
The next Good Foot takes place on March 15; admission is free, and doors open at 8 p.m.
If you find yourself wandering the neighborhood over the weekend and you stumble across twelves, be sure to stop in and say hi to Owens! He works at the record store every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
For updates on Good Foot and where Owens is playing next, follow @goodfootlongbeach and @djdennisowens on Instagram.
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