Shakin’ All Over Under Sideways Down: NYC’s Daftest 60s Shindig

w/DJs Melissa Fanni Tutti & Mr. Jonathan Toubin
Beauty Bar, 10:30 pm, FREE

From Low-Down Holiday Blues into a New Years Frenzy

Since last week’s parties turned into some of the strangest and most intense I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve had a mean case of holiday blues, I have no idea what to expect from this no-man’s land bridging Christmas and New Years – from me or from you. But, rest assured, my DJ partners and I will continue to kill from the heart regardless…

Wednesday, Dec 26, Motor City (127 Ludlow, Lower East Side, Manhattan), 10pm, FREE: Tonight’s guest bailed and I’m gonna take this by myself. Though I wake up every day grateful for my charmed life I have and the bountiful love I get from you all, and nothing but the best things continue to happen to me, I’ve lately nonetheless been the reluctant owner of one of the deepest cases of the blues I’ve ever known. Today John Lee Hooker’s been helping me along and I imagine that tonight I’ll go down that pitch-black lonely blues road, but, who knows, after a couple of drinks, I may just be ready to burn the whole place down. Either way, it’ll be gritty and, as always, like the fat man, I’ll be ready, willing, and able to rock’n’roll all night. Don’t fight it, feel it… with me!

Thursday, Dec 27, On! Sixties Discotheque Party, Beauty Bar (231 E. 14th, East Village, Manhattan), 11pm, FREE: New York Night Train’s latest venture is a collaboration between the Soul Proprietor and walking musical encyclopedia and rock machine, the indomitable Ms. Melissa Fanni Tutti – who, last time I checked, also has the blues. But that’s why we need to make the party move more than ever - turning dance music platters centered smack dab in the center of popular music’s greatest and most diverse decade. Making a go at channeling the variety inherent in the playlists of the discotheques and radio of the era, we attempt to cover soul, garage, and freakbeat plus a dash of boogaloo, girl groups, bubblegum, frat r&b, psychedelics, discotheque, boogaloos, tropicalia, yé-yé, latin delights, etc. Get it? ON! C’mON, get ON! Get off at ON!

Friday, December 28, Ants In Yr Pants Dance Party, Savalas (285 Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn), 10pm, FREE: It’s gonna be hard for either me or you to retain our blues when noneother than TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone returns to Ants In Yr Pants! Kyp last time brought an extraordinary, unique, and highly unpredictable mix of everything under the sun and made the party people go crazy all night. This time New York Night Train Soul Proprietor Mr. Jonathan Toubin is trembling with fear that Mssr. Malone will blow him clear out of the booth once more - but that’s exactly why everybody knows that both amigos are gonna step it up a notch for your dancing and listening pleasure. You WILL step hard and heavy all night long….

Saturday, December 29: Club Midway (25 Avenue B, East Village, Manhattan), 10pm, FREE: By this point I have a feelin’ the holiday blues is gonna be fading into pre-New Years excitement. If you’re in Manhattan, you gotta come find me upstairs where I’ll be continuing my time-honored Midway freak show tradition! Expect to bite into the good the bad and the funky with a hard rock center to break your teeth on. I’ll taker responsibility for your hearing loss but not your dental bills.

Sunday, December 30: Sin Sin (85 2nd Ave, New York, 10002), 10pm, FREE: Tonight I do my first gig downstairs at this East Village institution. While you may imagine this bar is a bit highbrow for me and what I do, take note that I was invited to do this by Javad, a New York underground bar legend since the early 1990s – slinging drinks at places like Barmacy, the early Beauty Bar, and many more. A long-time Seattle punk rocker whose older brother is noneother than John Bigley, the singer for the U-Men, Javad likes it raw and told me that he only only wants the grimy rock’n’soul. And so rock’n’soul is exactly what he, and you, will get. Other exciting news is that I will be joined by noneother than one of my favorite DJs in the city, Beauty Bar owner Mike Stewart, as well as Little Steven’s gogo dancer Tara Fitzgerald!….

Monday, December 31: Glasslands Gallery (289 Kent), 8pm, $10: This jam, organized with the help of Dr. Wizard, not only includes live sets by the almighty Stockers, the swampy Puddin’ Tang, the rockin’ Electric Shadows, and the mystical Sorceress, but, after the New Year turns, dancing with DJ sets by Smashed Blocked’s Josh Styles, me, and very special surprise guests. The cover includes a glass of the finest midnight champaign. This is gonna be one of the wildest and most out-of-hand parties of both 2007 and 2008. See ya father time, Baby New Year is here and….

Tuesday January 1: Motor City (127 Ludlow, Lower East Side, Manhattan), 4am - ?, FREE: You read it right, Baby New Year’s gonna be at Motor City, who has a 24 hour New Years license. Immediately after the Glasslands show I’m toting the crates over the bridge. This is gonna be so messed up and amazing. There’s nothing like sitting at a legally opened bar at 7am with folks wandering in and out from the parties. Ludlow is gonna be New Orleans and nobody sleeps ’til Brooklyn. I’m so stoked and will spin you into the New Year until 11 am or until you can’t take it no more – whichever comes first - if only to remind you that the Night Train does not stop and will not be outlasted….

and on January 2, as always on Wednesday, my new work week begins again….

warm up with a week southern dj charm

as 2007 dwindles down to nothing but a few sets of clownshoe footprints in the snow, and the weather continues to remain my personal vision of hell, and i keep foolishly bustin ‘out phil spector, james brown, and elvis christmas jams, i recognize that we need a change of pace and temperature. and, while global warming doesn’t seem to really be doing its job yet to move the mercury up to a reasonable height on the thermometer, you can count on new york night train to ix-nae on the x-mas and warm the depressing frigidness of yr holy-daze with a group of djs who all represent musical communities south of the mason dixon line…. so wiper yr brow, bust out some kudzu, savor those 11 herbs and spices, and fill up a tall glass of lemonade. this week’s gonna be a scorcher..

LOUISIANA - weds, dec 19, motor city: while you may be mistaking this man’s image for that of a different louisiana killer (the one from ferriday), MIKE HURTT, leader of New Orleans’ legendary surf’n'garage stompers the Royal Pendletons, currently living the evacuee lifestyle in the real motor city, arrived last week in our humbler burg just in time to storm the norton christmas party saturday and has been twirling his unique mix of early r&b, rockabilly, soul, hillbilly, cajun, and garage 45s all over the city. don’t miss this cat before he turns back around and slinks his way back to michigan-ah…

FLORIDA - thurs, dec 20, beauty bar back room: while we got native new yorker/hardcore legend MARK RYAN in the front, i’ll be in the back with miami’s own MELISSA FANNY TUTTI. while it’s true that she’s not really a special guest because she does this with me every week - maybe that makes her even more special… together we serve up more 60s than billie jean king… melissa gets more pop and i get more boogaloo every day…

TEXAS - fri, dec 21, ants in yr pants dance party - savalas: tonight’s guest, MICHAEL GERNER of Vietnam isn’t only the leader of one of nyc’s more notable bands and a regular dj at new york night train events, but he’s also a longtime fixture in the austin, tx underground. expect him to add his rough riding mix of rockabilly, doo-wop, and a truckload of misfits and alan vega to ants in yr pants’ already eclectic styleeee. a biker party without the bikers….

TEXAS - sat, dec 22, nynt soul clap and dance off - glasslands: ok, i know texas was already represented last night, but is anyone gonna argue that the state ain’t big and mighty enough to deserve at least one extra night? and heck, it’s the only state i hail from. anyhow, at this thing i spin the finest in soul 45s, obscurities, novelties, and classics spanning late-r&b to early funk but centering on mid-60s burners - exclusively for your dancing pleasure. this month’s neighborhood celebrity judges include AUDREY from Shock Cinema and Dragons of Zynth, Conrad Keeley of …And You Will Know Us By the Train of Dead, Nick Ray of Golden Triangle, Viva l’American Death Ray Music, etc., Shula the sex psychologists, and one secret surprise judge. The soul clap and dance off is rapidly turning out to be one of the city’s more unusual dance contests and one of my kookiest events as more and more freaks from god knows where show up to win the pot of gold. bring yr feet on down and see if you can bank off yr skills in a big way, or just watch. either way crazy dancin’ all night. only $2.

TENNESSEE, GEORGIA - sun, dec 23, exile on ludlow street - motor city: since i’m hijacking this party for one week only, i’m bringing along DJ HIJACK aka ALIX BROWN who just got fell off a truck from memphis, tn. the talented ms. brown, already a member of two of NYC’s finest, Golden Triangle and Blankdogs, has played in a number of other renowned memphis and atlanta acts like Angry Angles (w/jay retard), Wet Dreams (w/bradford from deerhunter), memphis supergroup Arch Rivals, and many more… currently employed at academy and formerly working at goner records, ms brown is a bit of a snob with no shortage of taste and expertise - but knows that rocking you comes first. no christmas music this time but instead a trick bag of generally misanthropic stuff for all y’awl that couldn’t make it back to where ever u is from… i assure you that neither i nor ms. brown like anything or anyone - including you. grinch night indeedl…

and don’t forget New York Night Train’s R’n'R New Years Bang with Stalkers, Puddin’ Tang, Electric Shadows, Sorceress, DJ Josh Styles of Smashed Blocked, and Mr. Jonathan Toubin of New York Night Train and free champagne. Plus for brave souls, a Motor City party that starts at 4am and goes deep into the next day, again DJ-ed by the Soul Proprietor.

I sould my soul to the devil and all i got was this lousy week of parties

New York Night Train’s soul proprietor returns from the Big Easy with a satchel full of gris gris in his hand and a brand new pact with satan himself - trading his soul for the ability to make you sweat and salivate and speak in tongues…

Wednesday, Dec 12, Motor City (127 Ludlow, Manhattan), 10pm, FREE: DJ Black Ops, AKA Social Registry co-owner/manager Joe Gaer is one of the city’s most distinguished DJs with selections that are every bit as quality, diverse, and unique as the releases on his label. Get down to sounds you’ve never heard and wish you could hear again.

Thursday, Dec 13, Matador/Beggar’s Banquet Party (25 Ave B, Manhattan), 9pm, FREE: The Conductor will this time be paired with noneother than frequent DJ partner Mr. Ivan Sunshine (Berko) currently of Love as Laughter and Ghost Exits and most recently of Vietnam. Ivan likes to throw down everything from indie and classic rock to oldies and international flavours… He’s my man… If he can’t do it, Melissa can.

Thursday, Dec 13, On! Sixties Discotheque Party, Beauty Bar (231 E. 14th, Manhattan), 11pm, FREE: New York Night Train’s latest venture is a collaboration between the Soul Proprietor and walking musical encyclopedia and rock machine, the indomitable Ms. Melissa Fanni Tutti. While the soul proprietor will make only a cameo tonight, Melissa will have an extra special secret surprise guest to help her play dance music hits centered smack dab in the center of popular music’s greatest and most diverse decade and, in an attempt to channel the variety inherent in the playlists of the discotheques and radio of the era, are intent on exploring: soul, garage, mod, and freakbeat plus a dash of boogaloo, girl groups, bubblegum, frat r&b, psychedelics, discotheque, boogaloos, tropicalia, yé-yé, latin delights, etc. Get it? ON! C’mON, get ON! Get off at ON!

Friday, December 14, Ants In Yr Pants Dance Party, Savalas (285 Bedford, Williamsburg), 10pm, FREE: Whoah!!!! Can you believe it JAMES CHANCE!!! that’s right James White himself, Contortion brutha #1, along with the very stylish, energetic, and Lovable Speedball brutha #1, Ron Ward of Speedball Baby and Five Dollar Priest will be joining the Soul Proprietor behind the decks. Anyone who witnessed this terrible two at the Animal Train Party will tell you that they positively destroyed the joint. This time is extra-special because JAMES CHANCE WILL BE TOTING ALONG HIS SAXOPHONE AND PERFORMING!!!!

Saturday, December 15, Swooon Magazine Masquerade Benefit Ball at Shangri La (100 Sutton Street, Greenpoint), 9pm, $12/$15 (includes free booze all night): Mr Jonathan Toubin will be up in the boothe with DJ Sune of The Raveonettes while the mighty Stalkers headline a bill that will include Young Lords, Brightside, Jock and Austin Donohue. This multi-media specatacle will also include a fashion show, performance art, tarot and palm readings, and a lot more…

James Chance to Contort Ants In Yr Pants!