If you're seeking a scene, maaaaaaaaaan, you could do a hell of a lot worse than A Fistful of Soul, the monthly where some of Houston's grooviest DJs drip rare (and not-so-rare) vintage wax all over Midtown. Now steered by Joe Ross, Stewart Anderson and Alex LaRotta, Fistful dates back to the Mink in 2009. It hopped next door to the marginally bigger Big Top some time later and soon enough spilled over onto the Continental Club patio, where it celebrates its fourth soul-spinnin' anniversary next Friday night. (Enter through the Big Top.) It's always no cover, and always all 45s.
"We get comments on that every time we play," LaRotta says. "We realize that some of our youngest patrons likely never grew up with a turntable in their house -- much less obscure soul/R&B 45s, so there may be some old-school DJ 'hipness' attached to our analog ethos."
This thing is a happening, we assure you. Recently Rocks Off asked the Fistful guys to come up with a list of their Top 25 tracks from four groovy years, only the tightest of the tight and the funkiest of the funky (but in no particular order). Dig it.
REWIND: One righteous vintage vinyl party (December 2010)
Bettye Swann, "Make Me Yours"
The Isley Brothers, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)"
The Fascinations, "Girls Are Out to Get You"
Jan Bradley, "Back In Circulation"
Sugar Pie DeSanto, "Soulful Dress"
Aretha Franklin, "Tighten Up Your Tie, Button Up Your Jacket"
Cliff Nobles, "Love Is All Right"
Johnny C, "Hitch It to the Horse"
Four Tops, "Seven Rooms of Gloom"
The Miracles, "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need"
Emanuel Lasky, "Welfare Cheese"
Chet McDowell, "I Guess You Don't Know"
Little Esther Phillips, "Mo Jo Hannah"
The Coasters, "Love Potion No. 9"
More grooves on the next page.
Joe Bataan, "Young Gifted & Brown"
Big Maybelle, "I Can't Wait Any Longer"
September Jones, "I'm Coming Home"
Johnny Copeland, "Suffering City"
Gloria Jones, "Tainted Love"
Rhonda Davis, "Can You Remember"
Archie Bell & The Drells, "Tighten Up"
The Sunglows, "All Night Worker"
Otis Rush, "Homework"
The T.S.U. Toronadoes, "Getting the Corners"
Carlos Guzman y Los Fabulosos Cuatro, "El Tren"
ROCKS OFF'S GREATEST HITS
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