You never forget your first Wooly Bully. It’s the weekly all-vinyl dance party at the Basement in Northampton, and on a hot summer night near its beginning in 2009, a friend and I were part of the packed little room’s happy sweaty shindig, dancing our butts off, re-hydrating and repeating.
Great groovy tunes boomed out of the speakers — soul, R&B, funk, girl groups, ’60s garage rock, Motown and more, classics but also rare gems. One of the deejays spun something I’d never heard before, a song with a skippity-bop beat irresistible to shoulders and hips. I felt like I instantly dropped 10 pounds. I had to ask: what is this? The peppy tune was “Don’t Wait Too Long,” a 1962 B-side by Erma Franklin, elder sis of Aretha.
The music mavens and good friends behind the celebrated weekly event are Snack Attack (George Myers) and DJ Cashman (Dan Cashman). They spin dance-friendly sides from the late ’50s to early ’70s, exclusively on wax, every Saturday night at the Basement from 10 p.m.-ish to 2 a.m.
As they’ve said before in print, “Come do the shake, shimmy, wobble, worm, twine, jerk, twist, camel walk, boogaloo, crawl, horse, 45, four corner, TNT, skate, slide or just DO YOUR THING!”
There’s no cover charge, but you must be 21 or over to attend.
Clubland spoke to Myers last week.
Clubland: Is there one particular memory of doing this Saturday night dance party that really sums up the joy or excitement for you?
Myers: Oh, this is a good question. This isn’t a one time thing, but the way the turntables are set up, we’re right by the front door, so we see people coming in and out, and without fail, we’ll be playing some record — it happened last week with “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles — where the dance floor is packed and everyone is having a good time and a person walks in for the first time and looks around like, “Is this real?” Seeing the vinyl spinning, people into it, lights are low, and this song from 1959 is really getting everyone psyched up — it’s really a trip for them. I feel fortunate we’ve found a home to play this music we love so much, and create a space for other people to maybe step outside of themselves, step back in time, and enjoy music that is getting a little harder to find these days.
Clubland: Jimmy Fallon once danced at Wooly Bully after he performed in town, and then talked excitedly about your night on his show the following Monday…what do you remember about that experience?
Myers: He was actually super sweet and fun to talk with. He was requesting good stuff (Zombies, Hollies, etc.) and was psyched on the night. He led a sing-along of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” after we stopped. Best part of his visit was that Booker T. was on his show the next night and Fallon told him we had played “Green Onions” (the organist’s big hit from 1962) — that personally made me so happy. We’ve had some other bands, comedians and celebrity types stop in, but nobody we’ve really engaged with in that way, and that’s all the better in my mind. I personally enjoy that we see lots of new faces every week and it’s sort of neutral in that way. You can come as you are and enjoy yourself. I feel much more excitement when married couples tell me, “Oh that was our first date!” I like that our region has a regular home for soul music and that we’ve pretty consistently attracted a diverse audience of people who are already fans or who just dig the vibe.
Clubland: How do you strike a balance between playing popular stuff you know everyone will love, and obscure stuff you know everyone should love?
Myers: That’s hard to balance. Some people come out and want to hear The Supremes and Jackson 5 every week and we get that, they’re some of the greatest artists to live, and it can be so joyous to scream the lyrics to “Stop! In The Name of Love.” That being said, there are records I love so so dearly, like Ruby Winters’ “Sweetheart Things” or The Profiles’ “If I Didn’t Love You,” and no matter how many times I play them, people won’t respond. Then there are records like “Texas Oil” by Freddy King or “Will You Be My Love” by The Four J’s that people immediately connect with and become regulars, despite not being hits, or well known. I also happen to love cover songs, and there’s an endless supply of covers from the ’60s, and that’s a good way to shift the balance. Like if you hear The Vontastics’ version of “Day Tripper” or Lena Horne’s “Rocky Raccoon,” people are like, “OK, it’s a Beatles song, but not the original,” and they relax a little and you can start stretching things out that way.
Myers is offering a rare chance to rest your feet and hear a Wooly Bully-curated night of non-dancing songs. He’s calling it “Deep Down Inside: Sweet Soul and Ballads,” and he’ll be spinning 45s full of love, heartache and beauty — perfect for relaxing, listening and perhaps imbibing — tonight at the Green Room in Northampton from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.