Nitty Gritty Noizz City!!

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!

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!

Wham! Bam! Wham-O! Wham-O!

Leah Lugosi and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Wham-O Watusi!

On June 3rd, the WHAM-O WATUSI swung into the Bootleg Bar the way it is supposed to: on the first Saturday of the month. Guest DJ was the lovely Leah Lugosi.

Miss Lugosi and host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus have been friends for a long time…dating back to when the Subway Soul Club was at Rififi and she was a guest there from time to time. Her last appearance in the BOOGALOO BAG was nearly two full years ago when she and the Boog swung together at one of the cool Out of Sight nights at the Beauty Bar, hosted by our pal DJ Xerox. Since then, the two have been scheming to work together again, but schedules have not always been cooperative. No wonder! She is a working musician in two bands–PMS & the Mood Swings and Habibi–plus her day job is applying gilding to beautiful objects that need restoring, which she does internationally. She gets around!

Leah Lugosi cues a boss record at the Wham-O Watusi!

But on June 3rd, it all worked out. Leah Lugosi showed up with what was once an antique doll carrying case full of boss 45s and proceeded to play the shit out of them! She had some cool ones, too. She played many hot sixties records that the WHAM-O WATUSI is known for, and also a bunch of seventies glam and punk records that made Phast Phreddie feel a little nostalgic: The Only Ones, Dr. Feelgood, Eddie & the Hotrods… When she played “Don’t Push Me Around” by The Zeros, it was reported that a happy tear fell from his left eye.

Leah Lugosi digs The Zeros!

The excellence of this particular WHAM-O WATUSI was further enhanced by the presence, and subsequent consumption of, some sweet maple fudge that was baked by the official BOOGALOO BAG photographer Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner. Yummy!!

Mmmmmm! Maple fudge!!!

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

None of these records are for sale. Some of those listed have links to youtubes clips. Click on them to recreate the WHAM-O WATUSI in the privacy of your own head!

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at the Wham-O Watusi!

 

 

A Big Ten Inch to Remember!

The BIG TEN INCH of May landed on the day before Memorial Day. Obviously, some folks were going to be away for that. Plus, with the L Train out of commission over the weekend, many who were planning to make the scene were unable to deal with the hassle of shuttle buses and such. Thus the attendance that night at the Hi-Fi Bar was a little less than we would have liked. However, there were enough folks in attendance to make it another fun BIG one. Plus, there was pizza. PLUS, Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner, the Boogaloo Bag’s official photographer, brought some most excellent oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies. This was a BIG TEN INCH to remember!

Adam Lore

Andy the Upsetter

Alex De Laszlo

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus

Michael McMahon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sara Bender

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, those who brought 78s to play included regulars Adam Lore, Alex De Laszlo, Michael McMahon and Andy the Upsetter. Joining them for the first time was Sara Bender, who swung with some cool hillbilly records. Special note should be made regarding Mr. Lore, who always seems to be bringing records to give away at the BIG TEN INCH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a list of all the 78s played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus:

None of these 78s are for sale. Some of them have links to youtubes videos, so check them out in the privacy of your own earbuds!

WHAM-O WATUSI Wails the Blues!

Once again, the WHAM-O WATUSI, regularly scheduled for the first Saturday of the month, did not actually take place until deep into April… the 22nd. As noted in a previous Boogaloo Bag entry, this was done in order to accommodate host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus so he could play a few soul records at Soul Night; a spectacular event that you can read about HERE!

Well, it may have taken place on the 22nd, but according to our notes, this was the 21st WHAM-O WATUSI held at the Bootleg Bar! For this occasion, a special guest DJ was required, and one was obtained: Brian Hurd of the boss new teen combo Daddy Long Legs.

Mr. Hurd is a blues-wailin’ cat from St. Louis who knows about good records. Heck, not only does he buy boss records, spin them at cool DJ nights, but he makes them!!

Daddy Long Legs is a very blues-influenced group that has been shaking a lot of action of late. With two studio LPs, a live album and another where they back the great bluesman T. Valentine, this is a band on the go. Currently, Daddy Long Legs is taking some time off from the road in order to work on a new album and play select live gigs. We here at the Boogaloo Bag can not recommend this fine musical unit enough and suggest that all Bag readers purchase their waxings immediately at the Norton Records website. I mean, now! That’s ok. We’ll wait.

Yes! Now that you’ve ordered your Daddy Long Legs records, we may continue with this Boogaloo Bag entry…

The Boogaloo Bag writers are very happy to note that the entire Daddy Long Legs musical organization came to the Bootleg Bar that night to dig the WHAM-O scene.

Brian Hurd, Josh Styles and Murat Aktürk of Daddy Long Legs swing with Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at WHAM-O WATUSI!!

Since the blues is featured so much in the Daddy Long Legs repertoire, it may come as no surprise that this WHAM-O WATUSI night featured so many blues records, or recordings of blues songs. What may come as a total surprise was the playing of three songs by the legendary Dion to express the Boogaloo Bag’s excitement regarding the release of a new Dion LP on the fabulous Norton label (do they get all the good acts?). The new album is a collection of Dion recordings from the early/mid-sixties that were slated for an album that was never released. The singles that were played are all from the era, including one on Norton of a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business” that has never been released before. The new Dion LP of old stuff should be out soon. All the Boogaloo Bag writers are looking forward to it.

Gettin’ back to the WHAM, it seems that Mr. Hurd underestimated the amount of records he would need, so at toward the end of the night, he and Phast Phreddie took turns playing records from the box of the Boog! That action started with the Roy Head record that Brian picked out of the Boog Box; all noted below…

Here’s a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the WHAM-O WATUSI held at the Bootleg Bar on April 22, 2017:

None of these records are for sale. Some of the tracks listed have links to sound recordings on the youtubes. Click on them to dig them.

A little Boogaloo with your Rip! Rig! Panic!

Nogood Nick swings at Rip! Rig! Panic!

Rip! Rig! Panic! is the brainchild of host Nogood Nick. Longtime Boogaloo Bag readers will remember that he was a popular guest DJ at the late lamented DYNAGROOVE nights and is also one of the favorite DJs of the Boogaloo Bag writers. Rip! Rig! Panic! features all sorts of music, especially mod jazz, funk, soul, pop and exotica rhythms. It is a groovy night whenever and wherever it takes place—and it has happened at several venues.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at Rip! Rig! Panic!

On Friday April 14, it took place during happy hour at Otto’s Shrunken Head with guest DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. It was a great night with plenty of cool records played; frothy, fruity drinks were imbibed; and good friends were in attendance. Who could ask for more.   After their regularly scheduled sets, the two DJs worked the final hour playing every-other record, before two people with laptops came to entertain the Friday night crowd with their keyboard and track-pad skills!

Nogood Nick and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus rotate records at Rip! Rig! Panic!

Here’s a list of all the 45s played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the Rip! Rig! Panic!:

None of these records are for sale. Some of the tracks listed above have links to the youtubes. Click on them and re-create Rip! Rig! Panic! in the privacy of your own mind!

Soul Night Is Go!

Mr. Fine Wine, Liam Large and Thorsten Wegner observe the excellent turntable technique of DJ Fancy Cat at Soul Night.

Soul Night is just that: a night of soul music. But that’s not all. Anyone can play soul records and call it “Soul Night.” This is Soul Night with Mr. Fine Wine, One Mint Julep and Fancy Cat! Three great soul music DJs. It takes place on the first Saturday of the month at a joint in Crown Heights, Brooklyn called Friends and Lovers. The place has a large back room with a stage where the DJ booth is, and plenty of room for dancers—and there are always a LOT of them. On Saturday April 1, the room was packed with gyrating bodies from about 10:30pm to about 3:30am—everybody doing the watusi to the fabulous records played by the DJs—which, on this particular evening, included guest DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and a couple of special guest DJs from Europe: Liam Large of London and Thorsten Wegner of Hamburg.

Liam Large swings with another hot soul jam at Soul Night!

Unfortunately, on this evening One Mint Julep could not make the scene; her presence, her smiling face and her cool records were sorely missed. The three guest DJs did all they could to try and make up for it.

Thorsten Wegner spins a rare soul record at Soul Night!

Both Liam Large and Thorsten Wegner come to the United States from time to time to search for records. Liam had been here for several weeks and both he and Thorsten attended the Allentown Singles Only (45s & 78s) record show earlier that day. If the records they played were any indication of the records that they had recently purchased during their time in the states, one can only conclude that their time here was very well spent. Both DJs played amazing records that had the place dancing and prancing.

Mr. Fine Wine takes a second to look out at all the dancers at Soul Night!

Mr. Fine Wine has been written about often in the Boogaloo Bag. Do we need to discuss him further? Well, we might remind the reader that he has a Friday night show on radio station WFMU and that every Wednesday night he swings at the Botanica Bar in Manhattan and it is an excellent hang; and of course he has the best soul records in the world. Dig some Boogaloo Bag entries that feature him here, here and here.

Fancy Cat picks another excellent record to play at Soul Night!

The Boogaloo Bag writers met Fancy Cat for the first time on this evening. He, too, played some great records, with a strong lean toward women singers and girl group sounds. It was a gas diggin’ and dancin’ to his spins.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at Soul Night!

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus is no stranger to soul records—as can be attested by the many feet that go tappin’ at Subway Soul Club events—so he fit right into the mix. Man, he loves playing those records and he spun a bunch of old favorites as well as a few recent acquisitions, including a couple that he purchased earlier that day when he, too, attended the aforementioned Allentown record show. Even though he had been up since about 4 o’clock that morning, the night seemed to end much too soon.

Soul Night DJs: Thorsten Wegner, Liam Large, Mr. Fine Wine, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. Where’s Fancy Cat???

If you, dear Boogaloo Bag reader, are paying attention, you will know that the first Saturday of the month is usually the night that the WHAM-O WATUSI takes place at the Bootleg Bar. On April 1, The WHAM switched nights with Border Beat, a night hosted by our friend Reyes Rodriguez; he and Avi Spivak held forth at the Bootleg Bar. The WHAM will return to the Boot on April 22nd with guest DJ Brian Hurd of Daddy Long Legs. The WHAM is scheduled to take place on the first Saturday of the month for at least the next two months.

Here’s a list of all the 45s played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at Soul Night on April 1. Nearly all of them have links to the youtubes so you can listen to them in the privacy of your own home. Check it out:

None of these records are for sale.

BIG TEN INCH with cake and cookies!

Several Chuck Berry 78s were played in order to salute the passing of the man at the BIG TEN INCH.

On Sunday March 26, the BIG TEN INCH held it’s regularly scheduled meeting of shellac enthusiasts at the Hi-Fi Bar in Manhattan. Counting host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, 13 men came with boxes of 78s to play:  Adam Lore, Alex De Laszlo, Andy Upsetter, Bob Pomeroy, John Clemente, Justin CollectorScum, Michael McMahon, DJ Rata, Rich Sibello, Ted Baron and Tony Salvaje. Let’s not forget Juke Joint Jonny, who celebrated his birthday!

Juke Joint Jonny celebrates his birthday at the BIG TEN INCH!

Adam Lore

Alex de Laszlo

Andy Upsetter

Bob Pomeroy

John Clemente

Juke Joint Jonny

Justin CollectorScum

Michael McMahon

DJ Rata

Rich Sibello

Ted Baron

Tony Salvaje

Soon after The BIG TEN INCH got started, we were joined by a team of roller-hockey players fresh from a game. They stayed on their side of the barroom, we stayed on ours and the only beef we had with them is that when the pizza arrived (there is pizza at every BIG TEN INCH) they quickly snatched a couple slices! In other news, Adam Lore brought about a dozen 78s to give away (The Boog got a cool Ruth Brown 78!) and Michael McMahon brought a bunch of empty 10” sleeves for anyone who wanted them. Everything went to appreciative new owners.

Oh, and did I mention that Juke Joint Jonny celebrated his birthday? There was cake, baked by Karen McBurnie (Grade A Fancy) and it was heavenly—everybody said so.

Also, Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner baked very delicious oatmeal raisin cookies with chocolate chips and they went very quickly. Folks, the BIG TEN INCH is so much more than just another DJ night—it is a multi-platform, ultra-dynamic experience in magnificent monaural sound where everyone participates!

Here’s a list of all the 78s played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus:

None of these 78s are for sale. Some of them have links to youtubes clips. Click on them and dig what the BIG TEN INCH is all about!

John Clemente’s list of 78s that he brought. He actually played those that are ticked off.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus

Berry flavored Mambo!

DJ Rata and Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swing at the Mambo Jambo.

Our pal DJ Rata hosts a groovy night at Otto’s Shrunken Head called Mambo Jambo. It usually takes place on the third Saturday of the month (and sometimes it takes place at the Robert Bar!). At the Mambo Jambo, one may expect to hear plenty of mambo records, that’s for sure… but also Jambo! What does that mean? It means basically that Rata and his guest DJs play all sorts of reet music on these nights—especially jumpin’ blues, Fifties R&B, ska, rocksteady, surf, boogaloo, calypso and rock’n’roll. Otto’s Shrunken Head is the perfect place for such an affair—this kind of music sits well with the punk rock tiki motif of the venue and the clientele bop along with it all night.

For Saturday March 18, Rata invited Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus to come swing with him. This is a gig The Boog looks forward to. He has a box marked, “mambo,” where he places records that he feels may be appropriate for the Mambo Jambo. Some of them are new acquisitions; others are those that he comes across in his collection that he thinks will be appropriate for the night. Most of these records are cha-chas, latin soul, boogaloos, skas, or somehow mambo-influenced—records that have that certain Spanish tinge. So, when it comes time for an appearance at the Mambo Jambo, The Boog grabs a handful or two of the records in the Mambo Box, then adds some assorted favorite records and/or recent finds into his play box.

DJ Rata spins a boss mambo record at the Mambo Jambo!

During the afternoon of March 18, it came to the attention of The Phast Man that one of the architects of rock’n’roll had died: Chuck Berry. A truly sad turn of events, sure, but it meant that Chuck Berry’s records must be played at the Mambo Jambo that evening! And so they were. The Boog played seven and Rata played at least five, if not six or seven. (At the end of the night, Rata put on a side of The Great Twenty-Eight and let it rip!)

Don’t let us forget that another musical giant passed away during the week—James Cotton, the great blues harmonica player. So a track by him was played in tribute.

Since this was ostensibly a mambo night of sorts, Phast also played four versions of “Caravan”—one to lead off each of his sets (the first set starting after a three song salute to Chuck Berry). Of course, “Caravan” isn’t really a mambo, however it is often played with a seriously syncopated rhythm that brings to mind Caribbean cultures. For the final hour, Rata and Phast traded spins, playing reggae, cumbia and other jams with exotic rhythms. The vibe of the evening was enhanced further by the presence of two spectacular DJs who showed up to groove: Tony Salvaje and DJ Xerox.

Here is a list of all the records played by Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus at the Mambo Jambo:

None of these records are for sale. Some of the songs listed above have links to the youtubes—click on them and one may recreate the Mambo Jambo experience in the privacy of your own home. All photos by Nancy “Jeannie” Gardner.

WHAM-O Goes Whaaaaaah!

Dab Van Ommen and Jonny Trash swing at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

Saturday the Fourth was the date of the March WHAM-O WATUSI; it was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because our pals Jonathan Toubin and Todd-O-Phonic Todd had scheduled, for Friday the Third, a fabulous program of boss rock and soul acts at the Warsaw: Nick Waterhouse & his band backing Ural Thomas, Baby Washington, Young Jessie, Maxine Brown, Archie Bell and David Johansen; King Khan; Joe Bataan and his Orchestra; all topped off with a very special performance by the legendary Irma Thomas. A most excellent event, and the Boogaloo Bag writers were in attendance and dug the show immensely. This show drew people from all over the world and The WHAM-O WATUSI benefited when several out of town DJs came knocking, looking for jobs for the following night.  WHAM-O host and resident DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus hired on three of them, plus local selector DJ Rata. It was going to be a very swingin’ affair!!

DJ Rata, Lilly Martini & Dab Van Ommen swing at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

Then, perhaps a few weeks before the big weekend arrived, it was announced that Mr. Toubin had scheduled another slightly less heavy but still quite fabulous show at Baby’s All Right (with Nick Waterhouse, King Khan, Ural Thomas and Eli Paperboy Reed in the performance space and more than a dozen fabulous DJs spinning in the front room) for Saturday the Fourth. Mr. Toubin even invited a couple of WHAM-O DJs to work at his event!

Whaaaah!!!!

But all was not lost. The WHAM-O WATUSI took place as scheduled at the friendly confines of The Bootleg Bar, where WHAM-O attendees were in abundance in spite of the hipper gig across town. Guest DJs included Jonny Trash (Spankys; Peterborough, Ontario), Dab Van Ommen (Utrecht, Netherlands), DJ Alr!ght (Secret Soul Club, Cleveland) plus our pal DJ Rata. Everybody took turns spinning their rockin’ 45s with host Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus. Excellent records were played, new friends were made (including Chelsea Hartman, Jay Nugent and Lilly Martini, who provided the Bag with some photos) and old friends turned up to jump around. DJ Alr!ight and Jonny Trash performed their respective sets early in the night, hung out for a spell, then took off for Baby’s All Right. Mr. Van Ommen and Rata stayed to make noise well into the wee hours.

DJ Alr!ght swings at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

The Boogaloo Bag writers first became aware of DJ Alr!ght at the Keystone State Soul Weekender last year. Although his DJ sets were not witnessed, music was discussed intensely and it was determined that DJ Alr!ght has all the right records and attitude.

Jonny Trash swings at WHAM-O WATUSI!!

Jonny Trash came to us via SMA-F (social media apparatus: facedog). He owns a joint called Spanky’s in Peterborough, Ontario that apparently features reet music every night and has hosted Jonathan Toubin’s Soul Clap events there. So you know he’s got the goods.

Chelsea Harman, Dab Van Ommen and Jay Nugent swing at WHAM-O WATUSI!!!

Dab Van Ommen came to our attention via DJ Rata. The two of them have DJed together, both in New York, as well as in Mr. Van Ommen’s home town of Utrecht, where he hosts many fine parties—some dealing with reggae music.

DJ Rata swings at the WHAM-O WATUSI!

Of course, DJ Rata is DJ Rata, a frequent guest DJ at the WHAM-O and one can read about him in many past Boogaloo Bag posts, such as this one and this one.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus, Dab Van Ommen and DJ Rata conspire to swing at the WHAM-O WATUSI! (photo by Chelsea Hartman)

Not only did each DJ play incredible records, some of them came bearing gifts. DJ Alr!ght presented the Phastman with his recent mix CD. DJ Rata gave the Boog a cool Swing-A-Ling record. Our new Dutch friend gave everyone a copy of the EP Go Sound by The Riddlers, a fantastic surf combo Mr. Van Ommen played guitar with during the Nineties. He also gave the Boog a cool 45 by the Nederbeat group Ro-D-Ys.

Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus swings at the WHAM-O WATUSI! (photo by Javier Roa)

For his part, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus gave each DJ a copy of The Pizza Record and played all of these 45s:

None of these records are for sale. Some of the songs listed above have links to the youtubes–click on them and recreate the WHAM-O WATUSI scene in the privacy of your own environment!

DJ Rata, Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus and Dab Van Ommen are the last DJs standing at the WHAM-O WATUSI! (photo by Lilly Martini)