Our pals Sei, Hiromo and Jun are the always-cool DJs from Japan who have been presenting Rebel Night at Otto’s Shrunken Head since 2005. Billed as a “Wild Dance Party,” it features mostly rockabilly music and people come from all around the area to swing dance and to do the stroll. In recent years they have been producing larger and larger shows, often in conjunction with professional groovy party throwers Dances of Vice. On July 19, they held such an event at SRB, a huge venue located a short jump from the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

Billed as Hula Rock, this event had just about everything one could possibly ask for in order to be properly entertained: Burlesque dancers Calamity Chang, Bettina May and Jezebel Express shook their respective booties; a Limbo Dance Contest was held and the winner—who went pretty damn low!—took home $100; vintage films were shown on two screens; traditional Japanese barbeque was cooked on the sidewalk; folks were able to get their photo taken with a fantastic Hawaiian backdrop, and/or with Elvis; all kinds of girls ran around in grass skirts; some guys wore some absolutely splendid Hawaiian shirts; a special Tiki drink was served; super cool old cars were parked out front; young women did the Stroll on the spacious dance floor; DJs Sei and Hiromo were joined by guests DJ Jumpy and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and they played some fabulously rockin’ tracks; The Clams played two sets of surf instrumentals while hula girls go-go danced; The Memphis Morticians arose from the grave to play this special party (having been asked to perform when Rockabilly X cancelled); The A-Bones played a top-notch show that included an appearance by The Great Gaylord; then The A-Bones backed one of our all-time favorite singers Barrence Whitfield in a particularly wild and rockin’ show! Serving as the amiable host and MC for the evening was the fabulous Mr. Dave the Spazz (WFMU).

Click on the photos and they will scientifically Big-O-Fi!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it was Bruce Bennett of The A-Bones who posted on facebook that it seemed like the Rebel Night guys were trying to cram all the fun and excitement of an entire summer into seven hours! Indeed, if this was the only event you attended in the last three months you could easily say you’ve had the most wonderful summer of your life! The handbill that promoted the show (taking both sides to get it all in!) promised “a singing… laughing… dancing… drinking… eating!” All of that was delivered, PLUS, The A-Bones with Gaylord AND Barrence Whitfield singing “Wooly Bully!!” How is that not fun?

 

Quite simply, folks, those Rebel Night guys—assisted, I’m sure by the Dance of Vice people—know how to throw a party. If you, dear reader, catch wind of their next event it would do you good to ink in that date and attend because you will have fun.

 

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, including those he played during the Limbo Dance Contest (who else is going to have Limbo records?):

• Johnny Poi and the Tradewinds–Hawaiian Beach Party (Design)
• Dale Hawkins–Baby Baby (Checker)
• Dean Beard–Party Party (Atlantic)
• The Exceptions–Down by the Ocean (Cameo)
• Bobby Bryant and the Rhythm Rockers–Piano Nellie (East-West)
• Billy Riley–Teenage Letter (Home of the Blues)
• Jackie Dee–Buddy (Liberty)
• Los Teen Tops–Lucila [from EP Rock] (Fontana; Spain)
• Chico Booth and the Upsetters–Hot Peppers (Palm)
• Terry & the Blue Jeans–Echigo Jishi [from EP Let’s Go – Echigo Jishi] (Seven Seas; Japan)
• The Rockin R’s–Crazy Baby (Tempus)
• The Shakers–Hippy Hippy Shake (Polydor; Germany)
• Jimmy Dee and the Offbeats with the Montclairs–Don’t Cry No More (Dot)
• Fabian–Got the Feeling (Chancellor)
• The Trinidad Serenaders–Limbo Like Me [from LP Limbo – The Latest Party Dance Craze] (Columbia)
• Chubby Checker–Limbo Rock (Parkway)
• The Fabulous McClevertys–Don’t Blame It on Elvis (Verve)
• Twistin’ Kings–Congo Part II (Motown)
• Michael Olatunji–Gin-Go-Lo-Ba (Drums of Passion) (Columbia)
• Hully Gully Boys–Yabba (Amy)
• Young William and the Jamaicans–Limbo Drum Part I (Dimension)
• The Sonics–Money (Norton)
• Floyd Dakil Combo–Dance Franny Dance (Guyden)
• Bull Moose Jackson–Watch My Signals (Encino)
• The Rock-A-Bouts–She’s a Fat Girl (Chancellor)
• Little Junior Parker–Barefoot Rock (Duke)
• Boots Brown and His Blockbusters–Block Buster (RCA Victor)
• Gus Jenkins and His Orchestra–Jealous of You Baby (Pioneer International)
• Tarheel Slim–Number Nine Train (Fury)
• Linc Jeffries with the Missing Links–On the Rampage (Key)
• Cliff Richard and the Shadows–Dynamite (Columbia; UK)
• John Greer–Come Back Maybelline (Groove)
• The Rockers–Mashed Potatoes (Audio Fidelity)
• Los Teen Tops–Buen Rock Esta Noche (Good Rockin’ Tonight) (Columbia; Argentina)
• Billy Riley–Flying Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll (Sun)
• Eddie Cochran–Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie (Liberty)
• Eddy Bell and the Bel-Aires–The Masked Man (Mercury; Canada)
• The Top Notes–Twist and Shout (Atlantic)
• The Grand Prees featuring Douglass Pettijohn–Junge Fever (Golden Groove)
• Hollywood Hurricanes–Have Love Will Travel (Prima)
• Lincoln Chase–Miss Orangatang (Columbia)
• The Spiders–Furi Furi (Crown; Japan)
• Huey ‘Piano’ Smith–We Like Birdland (Ace)
• Elwood James–Arkansas Jane (Bonanza)
• Bobby Charles–Take It Easy Greasy (Chess)
• Mad Man Taylor–Rock ‘n’ Roll Espanole (East-West)
• John D. Loudermilk–Susie’s House (Columbia)
• Buddy Miller–Little Bo Peep (Band Box)
• Little Walter (Washboard Sam)–Diggin’ My Potatoes (Checker)

None of these records are for sale.

Here are some more photos, taken by our pal Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner. Click on them and they will scientifically Big-O-Fi…