Nitty Gritty Soul City is a get down Rock and Soul event hosted by our pal Drew Redmond–one of the City’s excellent disc-slingers of reet music. It takes place at a fairly new club in Williamsburg called Diviera Drive whenever Mr. Redmond can get it together. The night includes racket-making by punk bands; the playing of old soul, R&B and funk records by DJs; plus the artistic gyrations of Go-Go dancer Anna Copa Cobanna. On Friday June 16, the guest DJ was Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus.

Three fabulous bands were scheduled to play: The Wilful Boys, The Die Die Die’s and The Art Gray Noizz Quintet. The Boogaloo Bag writers got to the venue too late to see The Wilful Boys, so a photo and a report on them will not be available. Only the last song of The Die Die Die’s was witnessed–but it was a rockin’ one! The group includes Max Frechette of The Othermen (one of our fave acts) on guitar, so we must look out for the group in the future.

The Die Die Die’s

The entire set of The Art Gray Noizz Quintet was experienced and the Boogaloo Bag writers are pretty unanimous in their praise of said teen combo. The band made a solid, rockin’ noise–as per its moniker (but there are only four guys in the band). A special treat was that the band included the excellent fret-work of Andrea Sicco of The Twin Guns (another fave band) and the two-string bass playing of our pal Ryan Skeleton Boy. That’s right, folks, the cat played with only two strings on his bass. He couldn’t have added anymore strings if he wanted to since the instrument only has two tuning pegs; but man, the guy got the utmost from the two strings he used! The Art Gray Noizz Quintet further impressed the Boogaloo Bag writers by including a cover of “Life of Crime” by The Weirdos in its set. Man, that was a gas. A little nostalgia for us old folks, eh? So this could be our favorite new teen combo!

The Art Gray Noizz Quintet

Due to the fact that the Boogaloo Bag writers were unfamiliar with the layout of the club–first timers–and that Miss Cobanna’s dancing area and her fan club was across the room, on the other side of a column holding up the building, photos of said Go Go dancer will not be gracing this entry of the Boogaloo Bag. The Boogaloo Bag writers humbly apologize to Anna Copa Cobanna, as well as to everyone expecting to see pictures of her in her cash-stuffed bikini!! This is truly a sad day for the Boogaloo Bag…

However, reet music trainspotters can take solace in viewing the list of every record played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at Nitty Gritty Soul City here:

Drew Redmond swings at Nitty Gritty Soul City!

• Little Bob–I Got Loaded (La Louisianne)
• Ace Cannon–Drunk (Hi)
• Georgia Soul Twisters–You Shot Me (Through the Grease) (Mainstream)
• Lil Murray & the Soul Exciters–Open the Door to Your Heart (Tammy)
• The Flamingos–Brooklyn Boogaloo (Philips)
• Ike & Tina Turner–Strange (Sonja)
• Lonnie Youngblood–Go Go Shoes (Fairmount)
• La Bert Ellis–Batman Theme (A&M)
• Ronnie Rae and the Dynamics–Funky Shuffle (R-J-R)
• Billy Clark with the Maskman–Soul Party (Part I) (Disc A-Z; France)
• Nathaniel Mayer–I Don’t Want No Bald Headed Woman Telling Me What to Do (Norton)
• Wilson Pickett–Mini-Skirt Minnie (Atlantic)
• Ricky & the Lexingtons–Walking the Dog Shotgun (Satellite)
• Ruby Johnson–Jerk Shout (Neb’s)
• The African Beavers–Jungle Fever (RCA-Victor)
• The Soul Believers–Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go (Smak)
• Timmy Willis–Mr. Soul Satisfaction (Veep)
• Duke Turner–Doggie Dog World (Omega Sound)
• Joe Swift’s Internationals–Boo-Ga-Loo Party (Onacrest)

None of these records are for sale. Click on them for youtubes links to dig in the privacy of your own head.

Miss Muzia hangs with Drew Redmond at Nitty Gritty Soul City!