DJs Kurtis Powers, Ol’ Stark and Shakey swing at the Sip & Shop Party!

Our pal and fellow DJ Ol’ Stark is a cool Parisian moderniste who has been living in this city for more than ten years. He often hosts very groovy events—his Let’s Boogaloo was a huge favorite—and for the last several years he has been providing the soundtrack to the Arts & Fleas room of the Chelsea Market in Manhattan. Plus, Ol’ Stark has a booth of his own there, selling records and some very swingin’ threads. In December, he and the Arts & Fleas folks host a party called Sip & Shop: Ol’ Stark invites some of his DJ buddies to play records and the Arts & Fleas folks provide some champagne for anybody who wants it.

This year, the party was held on Thursday December 10^th and included DJs Shakey, Kamala, Kurtis Powers, Camille, Domewrecka, Tru Tones and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus—each given about twenty minutes in which to bring joy to the world. This event is always a fun one because checking out the talented local artists’ goods while listening to good music is always a good time. The Boogaloo Bag writers were especially taken with the jewelry made with old typewriter keys

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus made the scene with a handful of his top Sixties Go-Go instrumentals, then closed with a seasonal treat. Here’s a list of all of it:

• The Real Don Steele–Tina Delgado Is Alive (Cameo)
• Swinging Soul Machine–Spooky’s Day Off (Polydor; Netherlands)
• The Gallants–The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Capitol)
• Sounds Incorporated–Rinky Dink (Liberty)
• [no artist listed]–Get It On (Hoctor)
• The Sensational Epics–It’s a Gas (Cameo)
• Nick Ayoub–Piment Rouge (Caprice; Canada)
• Hank Marr–The ‘Out’ Crowd (Wingate)
• Patsy Raye & the Beatniks–Beatnik’s Wish (Roulette)

None of these records are for sale.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Captain Heartlock display their respective gang signs at WHAM-O WATUSI!

Captain Heartlock has got to be one of the busiest musicians in town. He’s in three bands: Madam Robot and the Lust Brigade, The Electric Mess and The Othermen. All of the bands are good, play often and make sound recordings. Plus, he is often seen around town DJing with his boss records. It was in the latter capacity for which he was employed at the Bootleg Bar on December 5 for WHAM-O WATUSI, hosted by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus.

Captain Heartlock peruses through his box of 45s in order to select the perfect record to play at WHAM-O WATUSI!

The good Captain is often referred to as a “psychedelic fellow,” and indeed he played many records on this evening that fell into that category—even a few that were fairly recently recorded, yet had a groovy sound. At one point a group of young ladies asked Captain Heartlock to play some girl group records and he complied heartily.  He also played some great R&B and soul records. Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, on the other hand, stuck to the same old stuff he always plays—R&B, Go-Go, Garage Rock, Funk, Soul, Ska, and other jumpin’ jive. I guess you had to have been there…

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus:

• Frankie Questa at the Organ–The Wham-O Bird (Cub)
• The Hip Sound–Too Much (Limelight)
• Stan Kenton and His Orchestra–Dragnet (Capitol)
• The Steve Karmen Big Band featuring Jimmy Radcliffe–Breakaway (Part I) (United Artists)
• Black & George–Peanut Butter (Coxsone; Jamaica)
• The Buttons–Popeye Does the Mashed Potatoes (Columbia; Japan)
• Sir Walter Releigh and the Tampa Jewels–Try to Love Me (My)
• The Nightcrawlers–You’re Running Wild (Kapp)
• The Shirelles–Look A Here Baby (Scepter)
• Dumas King–Loose Eel (Ronn)
• Bobby Colquitt and String Bean–I’m Gone (Colt)
• Slim Harpo–I Need Money (Keep Your Alibis) (Excello)
• The Marcels–Merry Twist-Mas (Colpix)
• Milton Delugg–Rise Robots Rise (Mainstream)
• The Piltdown Men–Big Lizzard (Capitol)
• The Bob Crew Generation–Girls on the Rocks (DynoVoice)
• Les Pirates avec Dany Logan–Le Jet (Bel-Air; France)
• Bobby Fuller Four–Little Annie Lou (Mustang)
• Johnny Angel–All Night Party (Gardena)
• Elvis Presley with the Jordanaires–Come What May (RCA Victor)
• Jan & Dean–I Found a Girl (Liberty)
• The Dovells–(Hey, Hey, Hey) Alright (Swan)
• The Atlantics–Sonny & Cher (Rampart)
• Dean Christie–Shake! (Select)
• The Explosions–Work With Me Annie (Imperial)
• Professor Morrison’s Lollipop–You Got the Love (White Whale)
• Nino and the Ebb Tides–Automatic Reaction (Mala)
• Johnny Kirk & Lilly Thomas–Bitter With the Sweet (Cotique)
• The Denims–Ya Ya (Columbia)
• ? and the Mysterians–Smokes (Cameo)
• Los Javaloyas–Quiero Que Me Quieras (Gimme Some Loving) (La Voz de Su Amo; Spain)
• The Other Side–Streetcar (Brent)
• The Outsiders–And Now You Want My Sympathy (Capitol)
• Friday Night & Saturday–Going Nowhere (Tuba)
• Love–A House Is Not a Motel (Elektra)
• The Lollipop Shoppe–You Must Be A Witch (Uni)
• The Dynamites–Tunnel to Heaven (Victor; Japan)
• Power Formula–Theme From Laugh-In (Show Town)
• Tony Tribe–Red, Red Wine (United Artists)
• Diane Renay–Watch Out Sally! (M-G-M)
• Barbara Lewis–My Heart Went Do Dat Da (Atlantic)
• The Pandoras–Hey Ah (Imperial)
• Roger & the Gypsies–Pass the Hatchet Part 2 (Seven B)
• Candido–Jump Back (Blue Note)
• Black Blood–Kiswahili (Mainstream)
• Africa–Widow (Epic)
• Lyn Collins–Wheel of Life (Polydor)
• Bobby Wayne–You’re Blowing My Mind (La Val)
• Sherlock Holmes Investigation–The Pot’s Hot (C.R.S.)
• Claude François–J’ai Joue Et Puis J’ai Perdu (I Fought the Law) (Philips; France)
• The Brisks–Wooly Bully (Belter; Spain)
• The Rebounds–(I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone (Tower)
• Les Surfs–Reviens Vite Et Oublie (Be My Baby) (Festival; France)
• Little Willie John–Uh Uh Baby (No No Baby) (King)
• Johnny Newbag–Little Samson (Port)
• Young Jesse–Lula Belle (Capitol)
• Bo Diddley–Crackin Up (Checker)
• The Rolling Stones–Off the Hook (Decca; UK)
• Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs–High Blood Pressure (Herald)
• The Premiers–Farmer John (Faro)
• The Chosen Few–La La La La La (Co-Op)
• Chris Kenner–Land of 1000 Dances (Instant)
• Allison Gary and the Burners–Burn (Ro Yo)
• The Spinners–Itching for My Baby but I Don’t Know Where to Scratch (Tri-Phi)
• Desmond Dekker & the Aces–Problems (Uni)
• Jackie Mittoo; The Soul Bros.–Do the Bogaloo (Coxson; Jamaica)
• Osibisa–Wango Wango (Makin’ Everybody Happy) (Decca)
• Manfred Mann–Machines (Capitol; Mexico)
• The Dixie Cups–Iko Iko (Red Bird)
• A Little Bit of Sound–Incense and Peppermints (Carole)
• The Thanes–She’s Coming Back to Me (Sandgate Sound Studios; Europe)
• Los Brincos–Sola (Novola; Spain )
• The Kinks–It’s All Right (Reprise)
• The Poor Little Rich Kids–Stop – Quit It (H.I.P.)

None of these records are for sale.

The psychedelic Captain Heartlock!

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Kid Congo Powers swing at TWIST ALL NIGHT!

This November, the Commodore Boogaloo Night fell on the day after Thanksgiving (the 27th)—as it does most years. When that happens, host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus brings out a host of food and bird records. He did it this year, when he presented the third TWIST ALL NIGHT, augmented in the most fabulous fashion with guest DJ Kid Congo Powers.

As the Boogaloo Bag reported when The Kid was guest DJ at WHAM-O WATUSI in August, he and The Boog go way back—most likely before most Boogaloo Bag readers were even born. The Kid has spent his entire adult life as a professional musician—playing guitar for (in roughly chronological order) The Creeping Ritual (which became The Gun Club), The Cramps, (then back to) The Gun Club, The Fur Bible, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Congo Norvell, The Knoxville Girls and his current organization The Pink Monkey Birds. Man, that’s a lot of action with top legends. And to top it off, the band that he works with now is one of his best. The Boogaloo Bag writers recently caught his act in person and they will enthusiastically tell you that this is one great Rock’n’Roll teen combo! It is so great to see Kid Congo fronting his own band, writing whack songs and playing stun guitar! When this band comes to your town, by all means, go see it. Also, buy the records!

Meanwhile, back at TWIST ALL NIGHT, The Kid and The Boog spun boss records right up until 4:00 AM, when the Commodore bouncer insisted the music stop. This fellow is much too big for anyone to argue with, so the music ended… but not before these two fine DJs played a ton of great records. As noted, The Boog played a few food records and The Kid played some smokin’ instrumentals. Around about 3:00 AM they alternated the playing of records, which resulted in even more instrumentals being played—including the spinning of Travis Wammack’s “Scratchy” by The Kid followed by the Phast Man spinning “Scratch My Back” by B.J. & the Geminis. The Kid played the hot blues instrumental “The Freeze” by Fenton Robinson which The Boog followed with “Soul Express” by Lonnie Mack. The Kid also played his own answer to all the food songs when he set needle to “It’s a Gas!”

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Kid Congo Powers take special care to select the perfect records to play at TWIST ALL NIGHT!

The Boog also played a little tribute to two recently departed heroes: Allen Toussaint wrote “Candy Yam” for Lee Dorsey (fitting into the Thanksgiving theme); and “Swim Time U.S.A.” by The Life Guards was played in order to remember P.F. Sloan (and to salute our friend DJ Rata, a swim instructor by day, Boogaloo Enthusiast by night!).

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the third TWIST ALL NIGHT:

• Ray Anthony–Tequila With a Twist (Capitol)
• Tommy Wills and His Twisting Tomcats–Aw Shucks – Go On Twist (Terry)
• Lowell Fulson–Can She (Checker)
• The Marathons–Mashed Potatoes One More Time (Plaza)
• The Jesters–The Jesters Jump (Foxie)
• The Beatles–Mr. Moonlight (Apple; Japan)
• Roy Head–Just a Little Bit (Scepter)
• Chuck Berry–Jaguar and Thunderbird (Chess)
• Little Rose Evans and Chorus–Your Goose Is Cooked (Tahoe)
• Dee Dee Sharp–Do the Bird (Cameo)
• Jamie Ross–Let’s Do the Cat (Coun-Tree)
• Gino Washington–Doing the Pop Corn (Atac)
• Ace St. Clair with Mack Johnson Combo–Doin the Uncle Willie (Stacy)
• Singin’ Sammy Ward–That Child Is Really Wild (Tamla)
• The Magnificents–The Dribble (Twist) (Checker)
• Carlos Malcolm & His Afro-Jamaican Rhythm–Bonanza Ska (Up-Beat; Jamaica)
• Bill Haley and His Comets–Lean Jean (Decca)
• The Jaguars with Tom Looney–Jaguar (Epic)
• Eddie Kochak & His Orch.–Shish-Ka-Bob Rock (Darl)
• Chick Carlton and the Mixtures–Turkey Time – Part I (Faro)
• The Olympics–Mash Them ‘Taters (Arvee)
• Danny and the Juniors–Do the Mashed Potatoes (Swan)
• Robert Williams and the Groovers–Cranberry Blues (Tip Top)
• Warren Smith–Ubangi Stomp (Sun)
• Tom Jones–Chills and Fever (Decca; France)
• Kane & Abel–The Twist Is Back (Red Bird)
• Horace Bailey–Cool Monkey (Delene)
• Hank Diamond–Soul Sauce (Wachi Wara) (World Pacific)
• Ozzie Torrens and His Exciting Orchestra–Tijuana Grass (Decca)
• Pablo Beltran Ruiz y su Orquesta–La Banda Borracha (RCA Victor; Mexico)
• Los Yaki–¡Auxilio! – Help (Capitol; Mexico)
• Los Gatos Negros–La Tierra de las Mil Danzas (Land of 1000 Dances) (Vergara; Spain)
• Link Wray and the Wraymen–Slinky (Epic)
• The Smoke–My Friend Jack (Metronome; Germany)
• Sharp Hawks–Let Me Go! (Seven Seas; Japan)
• Les Lutins–Je Cherche (Carrousel; Canada)
• Dave Clark Five–Can’t You See That She’s Mine (Epic)
• Roy Orbison–Things Go Better With Coke [from EP Let’s Swing the Jingle for Coca-Cola] (McCann-Erickson/Coca-Cola)
• Travis Wammack–Louie Louie (Atlantic)
• Les Problèmes–Il Suffirait d’ Un Rien (Disques Vogue; France)
• Marsha Gee–The Peanut Duck (Joker; UK)
• Four Tees–Funky Duck (Kent)
• Bobby Sax and the Housekeepers–Sock It (DePlace)
• Lacy Gibson–I Am Gonna’ Unmask the Batman (Repetto)
• Bo Diddley–Mush Mouth Millie (Checker)
• Shelton Dunaway with the Cup Cakes–Franko-Chinese Cha Cha Cha (Khoury’s)
• Lee Dorsey–Candy Yam (Amy)
• Russell Evans and the Nite Hawks–Send Me Some Cornbread (Atco)
• Marvin & Johnny–Hot Biscuits and Gravy (Felsted)
• Dee Dee Sharp–Mashed Potato Time (Cameo)
• The Triads–Bacon Fat (Dilly Dilly Womp Womp) (Ringo)
• Dick and Libby Halleman and Their Society Orchestra vs Tom and Ray–Pizza Sure Is Good (Summit)
• Boyd Bennett–Hershey Bar (Mercury)
• Leroy Washington–Wild Cherry (Excello)
• Russ Lewis–Brand New Recipe (Sharp)
• Sly Stewart–I Just Learned How to Swim (Autumn)
• The Life Guards–Swimtime U.S.A. (Reprise)
• The Creations–Shang Shang (Jamie)
• Jimmy McCracklin–Georgia Slop (Mercury)
• Dossie (Thunderbird) Terry and Orchestra–Skinny Ginny (Amp 3)
• Wailers–Out of Our Tree (Etiquette)
• The South Street Soul Guitars–Soul Fire (Silver Fox)
• Ronny Kae–Twistin’ Rumble (Band Box)
• Maximillian at the Piano–Gee Baby, You’re the Utmost (Cub)
• Willie Wright and His Sparklers–Bloodhound (Federal)
• B.J. and the Geminis–Scratch My Back (Part 2) (Atco)
• Hugo Montenegro & Orch.–Hot Crawfish (Time)
• Lonnie Mack–Soul Express (Fraternity)
• Hal Blaine–Secret Agent Man (Dunhill)

None of these records are for sale. Photos by Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner.

Kid Congo Powers and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus sample the fantastic French fries at the Commodore!