The Silent Disco headphones! Photo by Phillip James.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus has been asked to DJ at Lincoln Center’s out of doors Midsummer Night Swing events just about every summer for at least 15 years; maybe more. He has provided the dance music between sets by such acts as Buster Poindexter, a cumbia group, several swing orchestras, Chubby Checker, a tribute to the great songwriter Doc Pomus, Bobby Rydell, Binky Griptite, a boogie woogie group that featured Charlie Watts and who can remember the others? Every time it has been a wonderful experience for The Boog, with folks dancing to his records and enjoying the groovy vibes provided by the good people who put on the shows.

But this time it was different. This time, on the 13th of July, the nice Midsummer Night Swing people asked The Boog to play his records for the Silent Disco portion of the show, after the main event: The James Hunter Six. The Silent Disco is a genius idea. It consists of three DJs playing their recordings, each program going out (via the miracle of some sort of wifi-type of hustle) to wireless headphones worn by the folks on the dance floor. Each set of headphones has a switch on it so the listener can change to any of the three DJs playing music, and when it does, it lights up in the color that corresponds with each DJ’s booth: blue, red or green.

Monica Sharp, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Rita Houston swing during the Silent Disco portion of Midsummer Night Swing. Photo by Nancy Gardner.

The other two DJs enlisted to perform during the Silent Disco were Rita Houston and Monica Sharp.

Rita Houston controls the dance floor during the Silent Disco. Photo by Phillip James.

Rita Houston is a legendary radio DJ and the program director at WFUV, New York City’s Bronx-based NPR station that features an eclectic assortment of music, but mostly what may be deemed as ‘modern music for thinking people.’ Ms. Houston is a smart music person. She has done these Midsummer Night Swing things before. She knows what people like.

Monica Sharp had the whole place rockin’ during the Silent Disco. Photo by Phillip James

The Boogaloo Bag writers met Monica Sharp that evening. When setting up her DJ booth, she hooked up a laptop to Serato-fueled turntables. Very often this is a clear sign that the DJ knows what she is doing. She also has been a regular DJ at the Midsummer Night Swing things. She struck the Boogaloo Bag writers as someone who is professional and knows how to work a crowded dance floor.

The Boog’s competition for the dancers’ headphone time was heavy, to say the least.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus plays old 45s during the Silent Disco. Photo by Phillip James.

The Boog’s contract clearly stipulated that he was to provide music for dancing: “Soul Blues, Rhythm & Blues and rock’n’roll.” Noting that the James Hunter Six draws much influence from records from the Fifties and early Sixties, he figured that a program of hits from this period would be popular with this audience. He pulled a bunch of 45s that would work really well with folks who want to twist, hully gully or do the jerk.

James Hunter of The James Hunter Six swings at Midsummer Night Swing.

The early part of the evening went great. The James Hunter Six puts on a swingin’ show. How can you not like a band who covers“Baby Don’t Do It” by The “5” Royales? The guy has excellent taste. Ms. Houston was the DJ between the band’s sets and she played an assortment of oldies via a laptop computer. The Boog figured she would play a similar fare for the Silent Disco. Who knew what Ms. Sharp would do, but it would be cool.

Jill Sternheimer introduces Rita Houston and the other DJs preceding the Silent Disco portion of Midsummer Night Swing. Photo by Phillip James.

Midsummer Night Swing hostess Jill Sternheimer came out and introduced the DJs.  Rita Houston had the blue DJ booth. Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus was in the middle with the red one. Monica Sharp was in the green booth.

Phast Phreddie started with an instrumental, as he often does, then went straight for the jugular by playing The Isley Brothers record. He looked up to see what headphone colors were lighting up on the dance floor. It was mostly blue and green with a smattering of red here and there. He kept going, hoping he could win folks over. Several minutes into the night the whole place seemed to go blue and the dancers were jumping up and down with glee. What was Rita playing that got them so excited? The Boog switched his headphones to her program. “Got to Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye. Wait, she’s playing disco records? Then many headphones turned green. What was Monica playing? Talking Heads. This is how it seemed to go all night. The two gals played modern records using modern technology the crowd was lovin’ it! The old guy in the middle was playing old records on old technology. Nobody seemed to want to twist, hully gully or do the jerk.

The whole night it seemed if the folks weren’t listening to Monica Sharp’s program, they were listening to that of Rita Houston. Photo by Nancy Gardner.

Every time the Boogaloo Bag writers looked up it seemed the dance floor was a sea of blue; Rita’s playing a Michael Jackson record. Suddenly it is a sea of green; Monica is playing the Marvin Gaye record! Rita and Monica had the hearts and minds–and more importantly the dancing feet–of the folks on the dance floor. They played Donna Summer records, James Brown funk records, Eighties new wave records, disco records–and the place was blue and green the whole ninety minutes, with only a smattering of red from time to time. Some old folks in the far corner seemed to be red most of the night. “Louie Louie” got some to turn red. So did “Twist and Shout” and “La Bamba.” The most red headphones appeared at the very end when The Boog played the record by The Contours, but it was cut short when time ran out.

A rare moment when folks did the Hully Gully–probably during “La Bamba.” Photo by Nancy Gardner.

To say that this Silent Disco was a humbling experience for Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus would be putting it mildly. After all, it was Friday the 13th! When it was over, Ms. Sternheimer came over and graciously thanked him for participating and that they appreciated the diversity that his program provided.

At least it didn’t rain, as it did three out of the last four times Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus was guest DJ at Midsummer Night Swing. Here’s a list of all the records he played that night:

• Dave Grundy Combo–Green Onions (Hit)
• The Isley Brothers–Shout – Part 1 (RCA Victor)
• The Marvelettes–Please Mr. Postman (Tamla)
• Hank Ballard and the Midnighters–Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go (King)
• Chris Montez–Let’s Dance (Monogram)
• Del Shannon–Do You Want to Dance (Amy)
• The Gentrys–Keep on Dancing (M-G-M)
• Little Eva–The Loco-Motion (Dimension)
• Joe Jones–California Sun (Roulette)
• Billy Stewart–Summertime (Chess)
• The Rivingtons–Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow (Liberty)
• The Regents–Barbara-Ann (Gee)
• The Marcels–Blue Moon (Colpix)
• Huey ‘Piano’ Smith & the Clowns–Don’t You Just Know It (Ace)
• Sam Cooke–Twistin’ the Night Away (RCA Victor)
• Eddie Cochran–Summertime Blues (Liberty)
• The Kingsmen–Louie Louie (Wand)
• The Routers–Let’s Go (Pony) (Warner Bros.)
• The Flares–Foot Stomping – Part 1 (Felsted)
• Bobby Comstock–Let’s Stomp (Lawn)
• The Beatles–Twist and Shout (Tollie)
• The Beach Boys–Fun, Fun, Fun (Capitol)
• Johnny Kidd and the Pirates–Shakin’ All Over (His Master’s Voice; UK)
• The McCoys–Hang on Sloopy (Bang)
• The Miracles–Mickey’s Monkey (Tamla)
• Los Johnny Jets–Cul Jerk (Cool Jerk) (Discos Columbia)
• The Olympics–Good Lovin’ (Loma)
• The Rolling Stones–Not Fade Away (Decca; UK)
• Ritchie Valens–La Bamba (Del-Fi)
• Dale Hawkins–Susie-Q (Checker)
• The Shirelles–Boys (Scepter)
• Cannibal and the Headhunters–Land of 1000 Dances (Rampart)
• Martha and the Vandellas–Heat Wave (Gordy)
• The Supremes–When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes (Motown)
• Jr. Walker & the All Stars–Shot Gun (Soul)
• The Strangeloves–I Want Candy (Bang)
• The Crystals–Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home) (Philles)
• The Blendells–La La La La La (Reprise)
• The Isley Brothers–Nobody but Me (Wand)
• The Contours–Do You Love Me (Gordy)

None of these records are for sale. Some of them may have youtubes clips for your own edification. Thanks to our pal Philip James for most of the photos here.

Apollo XII and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

On July 7, The WHAM-O WATUSI returned to its international theme with guest DJ Julio Fernandez, AKA DJ Apollo XII, who is from Spain. The WHAM-O WATUSI, of course, is held on the first Saturday of the month at the Bootleg Bar in beautiful downtown Bushwick, Brooklyn.

For the last eight years or so, Mr. Apollo XII has been living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He is a musician who plays drums for the cool rocksteady band The West Kensingtons, based in Philadelphia. He is also an avid record collector who takes advantage of the many record collecting opportunities presented to those who live in the south-east area of the state. About three or four years ago he and DJ Salinger started the Red Rose Soul Club. It did so well that Mr. Apollo, along with the noted British Northern Soul DJ and record dealer David Raistrick, who also has a pad in Lancaster, put together the Keystone State Soul Weekender–a fabulous affair held in November that features DJs from around the country and flown in from England. Suffice it to say, Mr. Apollo is hip to the scene and has records that are clean!

We were happy to see our pals Eric Svirida and Miss Claire who blew in all the way from deep Long Island. Mr. Svirida hosts the Flip Side Soul Club in Philadelphia; and we’ve seen him in action at the Keystone State Soul Weekender.

Miss Claire, Apollo XII and DJ Eric Svirida swing at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

Apollo XII and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus are in a pensive mood at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

For the WHAM-O WATUSI, Apollo XII brought a lot of soul records–which was to be expected–but also some boss R&B, some “Jamaican things” and a few garage rock records. Dig some of them here:

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For his part, host DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus played his usual trash–that is to say rockin’ instrumentals, garage rock, soul, R&B, a couple Mod movers and a few that were recorded in Spain. Recently, our new pal DJ Parka Pat from Montreal shared a blog post of his Top Twenty Monkey Records on The Boog’s facedog page. The Boog replied with a list of more than ninety monkey records that he has played over the last five years or so. When getting ready for this particular WHAM-O, it reminded The Boog that he has yet to play some of his favorites; thus a set of eight more monkey records were played. However, none of them were as good at the one Mr. Apollo XII played!!!

Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner once again rose to the occasion by making excellent chocolate crinkles, banana bread and vegan brownies. The BOOGALOO BAG writers are thinking about turning the WHAM-Os into a bake sale in order to generate extra cash to buy records!!!

Apollo XII is eyeing the fabulous treats baked by Miss Nancy at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the WHAM-O WATUSI:

• The Starliners–Watusi Time (Viscount)
• The Collegians–Cookin’ (Hilltop)
• The Chiefs–Apache! (Greenwich)
• The Originals–Watermelon Man (Sara)
• Bill Justis and His Orchestra–Green Onions (Smash)
• John Torres and His Organ of Power–El Tren de Bucaramanga (Musart)
• Les Pros–Good Night Regine (Boum Bomo; France)
• Buddy Rich–Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (Pacific Jazz)
• Les Diaboliques–Jackie (Week End; Belgium)
• Richie & the Saxons–Bottom of the Barrel (Tip)
• The Gallants–The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Capitol)
• The Show Stoppers–Shake Your Mini (Showtime)
• Amanda Ambrose–This Door Swings Both Ways (Dunwich)
• Bobby Parker–Gimmie A Little Lovin’ (Southern Sound)
• The Vibrations–The Watusi (Checker)
• The Stuarts–Just a Little Bit More (Ascot)
• The Fleets–Go Away (Volt)
• The Dee-Lites (Kathy – Pat – Bev)–Lollipop (Britton)
• Wilson Simonal–Pata Pata (Odeon; Brazil)
• Los Javaloyas–Yeh Yeh (La Voz de Su Amo; Spain)
• Della Reese–Blow Out the Sun (RCA Victor)
• Billy Stewart–Fat Boy (Chess)
• Russell Byrd–Hitch Hike Part I (Symbol)
• Les Cyclones–Let’s Go (Disques Vogue; France)
• Sherman Evans with Cruz Ortiz and the Flames–Yo Yo Twist (Manco)
• Eddie Quinteros–Come Dance With Me (Brent)
• Millie Small–Carry Go Bring Come (Fontana; UK)
• Solomon Burke–Peepin’ (Atlantic)
• The Rebels–Sha La La La (Top 4; Iran)
• The Who–Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (Decca)
• Los Salvajes–Vuelve Baby (Baby Come Back) (La Voz De Su Amo; Spain)
• The Jokers–Goodbye My Love (RCA Victor; Belgium)
• Idle Race–Impostors of Life’s Magazine (Daffodil; Canada)
• Hank Diamond–Soul Sauce (Wachi Wara) (World Pacific)
• Jr. Walker All Stars–Twist Lackawanna (Harvey)
• Little Eva–He Is the Boy (Dimension)
• The Pussycats–You Can’t Stop Loving Me (Columbia)
• Bob Marshall and the Crystals–Never Seen a Girl Like You (L-Rev)
• R. Dean Taylor–There’s a Ghost in the House (Tamla/Motown; UK)
• The 8th Day–You’ve Got to Crawl (Before You Walk) (Invictus)
• The Spellbinders–Help Me (Get Myself Back Together Again) (Columbia)
• Lou Courtney–I Watched You Slowly Slip Away (Philips)
• Orquesta Novel–Do the Bugaloo (Fonseca)
• Lonnie Sattin–Soul Bossa Nova (Scepter)
• Oliver Morgan–Hold Your Dog (GNP Crescendo)
• Max Frost and the Troopers–The Max Frost Theme (Tower)
• The Murmaids–Paper Sun (Liberty)
• The Who–Wasp Man (Track)
• Howlin’ Wolf–My Mind Is Ramblin’ (Chess)
• O.V. Wright–Monkey Dog (Back Beat)
• Shep and the Limelites–The Monkey (Hull)
• William Bell–Monkeying Around (Stax)
• Dobie Gray–Monkey Jerk (Charger)
• Donald Height–Soul Monkey Twist (Jubilee)
• Jerri Jones backed by The Delviations–Monkey on Your Back (PAL)
• Tommy Payne–I Go Ape (Felsted)
• Mad Dog & the Pups–Funkey Monkey (Magic City)
• Tennessee Ernie Ford–Sixteen Tons (Capitol)
• Layton Redell Zbornik Jr.–I Like It Like That (U.S.A.)
• Sir Latimore Brown–Shake and Vibrate (Sound Stage 7)
• The Pros and Cons–Whirlybird – Part I (Decca)
• José Salcy–J’en Parlerai à Mon Cheval (Philips; Canada)
• Los Bravos–La Moto (Columbia; Spain)
• Los Talayotts–Sha La La La Lee (Polydor; Spain)

None of these records are for sale. Some of them have links to the Youtubes, click on them for outstanding audio action!

Here’s another look at the sweet snacks Miss Nancy baked: