Each month we ask a member of the community to tell us what music they’ve been digging.
As a club DJ who specializes in playing old 45s, there are literally thousands that I dig. Here are a few: Dave Bartholomew’s “Shrimp and Gumbo” (New Orleans R&B meets Cuban rhythms!); Sidney Barnes’s “You’ll Always Be in Style” (a long-elusive Northern Soul acquisition); Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics’ “Our Favorite Martian” (Before “I Fought the Law” put him on the map, Fuller and his Texas band cut some fabulous instrumentals); James “Red” Holloway’s “Ala Carte” (Red Holloway was a journeyman jazz saxophonist who also played on blues records; this is a wild novelty record that’s totally different from what you’d expect from a guy like this); Los Babys’ “Jinetes en el Cielo” (a WAY-wacked-out version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” by a group from Mexico; the recording contains all sorts of exciting guitar noises—feedback, distortion, scraping of strings, etc.—and it was recorded in 1966); Roosevelt Matthews with Billy Ball and the Upsetters’ “Tighten Up” (Every version of the Archie Bell and the Drells standard is good, but this rendition beats them all!); the Eddy Jacobs Exchange’s “Pull My Coat” (a fantastic imitation of James Brown); and Lou Courtney’s “Hot Butter ’n All” (another sensational funk record).
These last three are always in my box when I DJ at Salt Box for my “Funky Kingston” night (the fifth Saturday of the month, when there is one; the next one is January 31). The others may be heard at the “Shim Sham Shimmy” night on the first Saturday of the month, also at Salt Box, or at the “Do The 45” night on the second Friday of the month at Quinn’s in Beacon. I’ve been listening to recent recordings by the Third Mind (Dave Alvin of the Blasters’ psychedelic band); Doctor Moan (with Peter Case of the Plimsouls); a bunch of new stuff on the Daptone label; as well as local acts the Sci-Flies (futuristic surf music) and the Vibeke Sougestad Band’s Sun Sessions (she’s the queen of Nordic power pop). Another favorite recent release is the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s cover of the Nixon-era classic “Impeach the President.” Some folks feel that it’s better than the original by the Honeydrippers. I won’t go that far, but it’s good—and oh so timely.
Phast Phreddie Patterson is a DJ and the head archivist at the ARChive of Contemporary Music. In 1975 he cofounded Back Door Man, one America’s first punk fanzines. He lives in Salt Point. Boogaloobag.com
This article appears in January 2026.
Phast Phreddie’s selections are fantastic! Dave Bartholomew’s “Shrimp and Gumbo” sounds like a must-hear—that New Orleans R&B mixed with Cuban rhythms sounds incredibly unique. I’d love to know what other tracks bridge those distinct regional sounds in his collection!
Phast Phreddie’s selection sounds fantastic! Dave Bartholomew’s “Shrimp and Gumbo” blending New Orleans R&B with Cuban rhythms sounds like an incredible groove. I’d love to hear more about finding that elusive Sidney Barnes Northern Soul track—what made it so hard to track down?