Martha Wash Headlines Black and Gold Ball At The Asbury
Masquerade & Halloween Costume Event in Support of Tyler Clementi Foundation
The original Weather Girl – Martha Wash will headline the return of The Asbury’s Black and Gold Ball Saturday.
“The late ‘80s and ‘90s were definitely good eras for super strong performers,” said Joshua J. Ballard, the Salt Hotels Corporate Director of Programming. The Asbury is a Salt Hotel run venue. “You don’t see as much of that today, so we are definitely trying to call that back.”
Last year’s inaugural ball featured early ‘90s dance club sensation CeCe Peniston, Ballard said.
Wash, a San Francisco native had break out success as a part of the backup duo for disco singer Sylvester in 1977. By 1982 she and Izora Armstead transformed into The Weather Girls and reached multi-platinum success with It’s Raining Men.
Coined, the Queen of Clubland, Wash went on to garner a dozen chart topping hits and was a member of the ’90s group C+C Music Factory. In December 2016, Billboard ranked her the 58th most successful dance artist of all-time.
“We really looked around to see what the rest of the city was doing for Halloween,” Ballard said. “We tried to focus on producing something that would compliment the LGBTQ community here.”
A part of that support includes earmarking a portion of the event proceeds for the Tyler Clementi Foundation in recognition of October being the national Bullying Prevention Month.
Described as a passionate violinist and avid cycler, Clementi, a Ridgewood native, succumbed to cyber bullying humiliation by ending his life.
“This is a great opportunity for us to help out with the foundation,” Ballard said.
The event runs from 8 p.m to 2 a.m. Saturday and features music by world-famous DJ Lina and local sensation DJ Mick Hale.
“DJ Lina is such a strong artist,” Ballard said. “And DJ Mick Hale is a staple at our Tea Dances and at Georgies. He’s a real advocate for the local arts community.”
Passed hors d’oeuvres, Halloween themed drink specials, giveaways, and an incognito costume contest fill out the evening’s offerings.
Ballard said prizes include stays at Salt Hotel properties and will be quietly distributed by costumed judges.
The Asbury is located at 210 Fifth Avenue. Tickets are $40, available via theasburyhotel.com. For more about the Tyler Clementi Foundation, click here.
———————————————————————————————————
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.
