Cassie Coane and Harley Viera-Newton
It's become somewhat of a New York Fashion Week staple that Harley Viera-Newton and Cassie Coane throw an all-out rager to celebrate their joint birthdays that happen to fall during that particularly crazy week. This year, toasting their 23rd at Lavo was no different– well, aside from the fact that it may have been the best one yet.
Being DJs and all-around girls about town, the duo knows a thing or two about throwing a good party, especially with our cocktails in hand. But honestly, who wouldn't want to attend a party that comes with its own shirt: "I went to Cassie and Harley's 23rd birthday party and all I got was addicted to clubbing?" You've already seen the photobooth pictures, maybe even spotted an Olsen or three, and you've stalked the night through the lens of Mark the Cobrasnake. But now it's time to have a chat with the twosome, so keep scrolling.
So first off, how did you two meet?
Harley: We met in high school! We only found out after becoming friends that we have the same exact birthday...I guess we were fated/doomed to be BFFs.
Cassie: We met in 9th grade literally on the street. We had some mutual friends and they brought our whole group of girls together. There's about eight of us and we’re still all best friends.
You're both awesome DJs and Harley, you have family in the music industry. How important was music to you both growing up?
H: It's always been hugely important to me. I have all these funny music-related memories that are really definitive of certain times in my childhood. I remember when I first heard the Spice Girls and bought a Union Jack dress... I remember when I met Rivers Cuomo outside a Weezer show and fully cried... and I remember buying the first Strokes album and freaking out. There's always a soundtrack for each phase you go through, so music really carries you along through life.
C: Music was a huge part of growing up for both us, and I think especially for us together. I think if the Strokes record hadn’t come out in our formative years, we probably would have never ended up in New York. I think only recently have I become comfortable enough with myself to admit that. We used to sit at our friend's house and listen to it on repeat for about 2 years straight. It definitely gave us some grand delusions about what our lives in New York would be like.
Happy 23rd, by the way! What's the best and worst thing about getting older and wiser?
H: Responsibility (both the best and the worst).
C: The worst thing about getting older is no longer fitting into the 18-22-year-old range. However, Michael Jordan has the same birthday as us, so I feel that 23 will be our year. The best thing about getting older (wouldn’t say wiser) is that your friends start forgetting the dumb stuff you do when you're drunk!
When you're behind the DJ booth, what would you say are each of your top 5 most played songs?
H: We have a bunch of go-to classics... Prince, The Smiths, The Clash, New Order, etc.
C: 1) Katy Perry- "Teenage Dream," 2) Soulja Boy- "Speakers Going Hammer," 3) Trey Songz- "Bottoms Up," 4) Sean Paul- "Like Glue," 5) Too $hort- "Blow the Whistle."
Favorite songs to play that get everyone on the dance floor?
H: It's always changing. Cassie and I went to Vegas over the summer and came back obsessed with "Dynamite" and "We No Speak Americano" (probably because they induce memories of sparklers and "Patron fairies").
C: Anything that can be found on DJ Roctakon and DJ Ross One’s "Notorious Party Boy" soundtrack. Most importantly, Robyn's “Dancing On My Own,” which all of our friends are obsessed with right now. We instructed the boys to play it every hour at our party.
What's the best birthday memory you have?
H: Going to a Spice Girls reunion tour with Cassie. It RULED.
C: I have so many good ones since Harley and I have the same birthday, but I think one of my all-time faves is that last year on our birthday, Harley and I woke up the next morning and realized we had ignored almost every guest and only hung out with each other the whole night. I guess that’s part of the trials and tribulations of sharing your birthday with your best friend.
Besides turning 23 and playing awesome music, what have you been up to recently?
C: The only thing I’ve been working on besides DJing is not being a total pile 24/7. I would say it's going okay.
If you could have one cocktail named after you, what would it be called?
H: "HarLAY" or "The Dead Seal."
C: My best friend Torey invented this drink called the “Whiskey Beer” where he pours whiskey into a can of beer and it's surprisingly delicious. I think I would steal that from him and re-name it after his last name, “The Goodall.”
