Surge DJ Chad Varnas Lays it Down
By Kimberly Dunbar

When the whistle blows at a sporting event, and the DJ lays down the beats, you can’t help but bob your head to the rhythm. Whether you realize it or not, you’re always listening to the music at a game. So the DJ’s job is important…and not as easy as it may seem.

“My job is more than just pressing the play button,” said Chad Varnas. “You have to watch the ebb and flow of the game.” Varnas is the “Music Man” for the New England Surge, a job that is key for the total fan experience.

“I can control the tempo of a game with the music I play,” said Varnas. “If I look over and I see people bobbing their heads and enjoying the music, I know I am doing my job well.” One of the ways Varnas gets the Worcester crowd pumped is by playing “Bring ‘Em Out” as the team takes the field. “I play slow ballads when the other team comes out. It totally kills their presence,” admits Varnas with a Cheshire Cat grin.

Varnas is a Worcester guy through and through: an alumnus of North High and now a senior English major at Worcester State College, the 28-year-old grew up playing hockey in the area and cheering on his favorite sports teams. In fact, he was an Ice Cat season ticket holder until the day he landed the gig as the Music Man. Varnas’s boss and then WXLO personality Jay Bailey asked him to help out playing the music at the games, and eventually turned over the records to the rookie full time. Varnas turned the tables for the Ice Cats for seven seasons before the team left town, but when the New England Surge blew into Worcester this year, Varnas was back in the game.

“My name was recommended to the Surge when they were looking for a DJ,” said Varnas. And the rest is history.

Varnas, whose favorite songs include Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and Billy Squire’s “Stroke Me,” enjoys Worcester’s family-oriented atmosphere. When he isn’t attending school full time or working in the sales department at Cinch-IT, Varnas enjoys frequenting places like Café Dolce and McFadden’s.

“My favorite part about this job is seeing the fans get into the game and knowing that I was a part of it,” said Varnas. “I’m not athletic enough to be out on the field and I can’t throw a touchdown to win the game, but I can get the fans excited for the game. No one else can do that.”