Since 11 September 1998
28 years
Que Sera, 1998–2011
Dennis Owens put on the first Good Foot at Que Sera on 11 September 1998. Roughly eighty people turned up. He has called that first night “a total trial by fire” — and then, of the decision to keep going, “we never looked back”.
It packed Que Sera’s hardwood floor every month for thirteen years, running second Fridays at 9pm. The Que Sera run ended on 10 September 2011, one day short of thirteen years to the night.
The pop-up years, 2011–2013
For about two years The Good Foot! had no home. It surfaced as a one-off here and there, a night at a time, while Dennis looked for somewhere that could take it permanently.
Alex’s Bar, 2013–now
In September 2013 it came back as a monthly residency at Alex’s Bar on East Anaheim Street — every third Friday, and it has not missed since. The room is red-walled, 21 and over, and holds a crowd that knows the records.
The crates have widened over 28 years. It started as soul and funk on original 45s and it still is, but latin, afrobeat, disco, cumbia and brazilian records from the sixties through the eighties have all earned their place. What has not changed is the format: vinyl, and a floor that is meant to be danced on.
Everybody was so lost in the music. Dennis Owens on the early nights, Long Beach Post, 2023
The traditions
Three nights a year sit outside the ordinary run. The anniversary falls on the September third Friday — every resident back to back, plus guests, and the biggest one of the year. Halloween on 31 October and the Christmas party on 25 December are extra nights on top of those months’ third Fridays, not replacements for them. Christmas has run annually since 2007 and collects clothing and non-perishable food for the Long Beach Rescue Mission.
Doors at eight, 21 and over.