I’ve had a complicated relationship with Nowadays (56-06 Cooper Ave.) ever since DJ Voices aired out the club for her wrongful termination as one of the venue’s bookers in March 2024. She claimed it was due to her organizing efforts (a claim the National Labor Relations Board later found merit in). Less than a month after her statement came out, I wrote a piece about its nonstop parties for NYLON and was disappointed when the editor cut my introduction expressing my moral dilemma. At the time, Nowadays was rumored to be shutting its doors and, as one of New York City’s few nightlife writers, I felt like it was important to document the iconic party before it was gone forever, but that was just cope to get a byline I’d always dreamed of.

When Annabel Ross interviewed DJ Voices about the whole experience months later, it sparked discourse about whether or not we should even be going to Nowadays anymore. I shared Annabel’s Instagram post, where she argued that the community should be boycotting Nowadays the same way it had been boycotting Berghain. Not only did Annabel and Voices get backlash for the post, but so did I for even sharing it. The people in my DMs did raise some valid concerns, though. With Nowadays being one of the only clubs to consistently book our Black pioneers, give space to parties like BODY HACK, and host various fundraisers and community events, what gives two white women the right to try to take all that away?

My inner conflict got even more convoluted as I got to personally know Voices. I stopped going to Nowadays for about a year until a new group of friends only wanted to go out there. I started making the exception that if I wasn’t paying to get in, it wasn’t that bad. To this day, I still feel embarrassed and guilty to admit I frequent the club. So why was I having such a hard time letting it go?

Little did I realize the solution was an underutilized club only half a mile away. A venue I’d had weird experiences at for years until recently. A space some promoters don’t even think is cool enough to put on an event flyer: Trans-Pecos (9-15 Wyckoff Ave).

You might think I’m just saying this because I’ve thrown two parties there this year, but I couldn’t be more serious. The sound has improved exponentially, the bookings keep getting better, and the crowd is genuinely there for the music (which I can’t even say about Nowadays any time before 6 a.m. anymore). The outdoor area is spacious yet cozy, and there’s a cute warehouse around the back if the party gets big enough. Plus, each promoter can bring their own vendors, which creates even more opportunities to connect with the community.

Last weekend, my party HEADS KNOW hosted a Boiler Room counter-rave with Boycott Room and Cultural Solidarity Project. Just as DJ Voices advocated for Nowadays to stake a stance for Palestine, we protested Boiler Room’s owner, private equity firm KKR, which has ties to Israeli weapons manufacturers and West Bank settlements.

Trans-Pecos made it happen. The staff gave us all day to set up and even jumped in to help. They were extremely present and attentive throughout the nine-hour event, and when the night was over, they made sure we felt good about how everything had gone. I can’t compare this experience to what it would be like throwing an event at Nowadays—because I never have and never will—but from a promoter’s perspective, working with Trans-Pecos was an absolute dream.

I think more promoters and partygoers need to give Trans-Pecos a chance. Whether it’s because people didn’t have the best time there in the past, or because they still haven’t visited, they might be surprised by how good it actually is. Trans-Pecos might not be perfect (they really need to upgrade their gear and give more discounted room rates for mutual aid events), but it’s better than feeling bad for supporting a club that might not ever care as much as you do.

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Arielle Lana LeJarde is a Brooklyn-based culture journalist, event producer, and DJ. You can find her planning her next HEADS KNOW party or working on her first book.