Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel and Daniel Francois.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rachel and Daniel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
KickBack Boston was conceived on our front porch. On a warm summer night, we were with friends and wanted to get into something that wouldn’t require us to change into a restricted dress code and listen to outdated Top 40 playlists, Boston nightlife’s usual offering. We couldn’t think of any options that would cater to our laid back vibe that we so easily created with friends in our own spaces. So we decided to do our own thing – get a space, bring in a DJ for folks to casually connect without pretension – no dress code, low admission fee. We decided to go with the event name The KickBack because it captured the energy we wanted to invite and curate.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The traditional vanguard of Boston’s nightlife has been a tough playing ground for young, economically mobile, people of color, in the city. We lose a ton of young, creative, innovative talent to major cities like LA, New York, DC, Chicago, Philly every year, despite our competitive work industries, because there’s “nothing to do in Boston” or perceived and experienced racial hostility.
Our followers are amazing and they rock with us hard. Honestly, it’s not about our individual influence, most don’t even know who we are, rather it’s because we offer the city an alternative that acknowledges the desperate desire for a more culturally attuned atmosphere that represents the city’s diverse yet intersecting interests. As born and bred Bostonians, we know what the city is critically missing.
Our biggest challenge continues to be securing venues. We are regularly met with high bar minimums, at times couched in discriminatory coded language, which effectively shuts us out and attempts to slow the momentum of new energy and perspective. This not only hurts us as a small business but on a macro level stunts the city’s progress and opportunity for innovation
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the KickBack Boston, LLC story. Tell us more about the business.
We curate music-centered experiences for trillenials to vibe, sip and kick it that celebrates our most valuable currency, culture, unapologetically.
The Kickback and Juke Jams are our regular series events. The Kickback is a mid-week lounge party where folks get together to socialize, eat, drink and vibe to the crowd-sourced tunes spun by featured DJs selected by us. Juke Jams is a semi-annual social mixer that highlights new music releases played by a live DJ with signature drinks concocted by our mixologist.
How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
Success for KickBack Boston is establishing a residency with a venue to host regular events, partnering with brands and companies to heighten visibility for the city of Boston/New England area to retain and attract talented creative.
Additionally, we see our part in the large scale success for the city of Boston is to catalyze and sustain a movement to realize Boston’s potential as a cultural center for the convergence of music, art and tech events, with young, diverse people in mind. We want to transform Boston’s narrative, particularly to address the response we often get “there are Black people in Boston?!”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kickbackboston.splashthat.com/
- Email: kickbackboston@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickbackboston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KickBackBoston/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kickbackboston
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/the-kickback-boston
Image Credit:
Personal Images : @Seunworks | Relevant Shots : @gregisonfire | Juke Jams : @nkki927
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
