I went to the Bowery Ballroom at 8 on the dot to finally watch Don Giovanni Records (co-owned by friend to rock nyc Joe Steinhardt) after missing em a couple of times. So i am chatting to Grace, the host for the evening, and she tells me Pregnant have cancelled due to a death in the family (our sympathys) and I am about to hit the road when we get to talking.
Grace is a sweet, vivcacious young woman. She works days in a clothing store and DJ’s on the side mostly playing Northern soul on vinyl. Though today there is a larger smatterring of sound including punk and ska, and novelty though it is mostly on tape at first.
Grace decries the state of New York live music. this night there are three concerts in the area in direct competition with her. “Less people are going out and there are more clubs so the audiences are diluted. I am happy if I make enough to take a taxi home for me and my record collection.”
I remember how back in the late seventies, I would go from Great Gildersleeves to CBGBs to Mudd Club all within blocks of Bowery electric.
Grace tells me her father used to play around the clubs. A couple of questions and I discover her father is X-Cessive. X-Cessive was a CBGB’s regular who lead a GREAT GREAT GREAT blue eyed soul band called The Nitecaps. On December 31st 1981, I went from Costello at the Palladium to The Nitecaps at CBGB’s who performed a set so electrifying nearly 30 years later I still remember it!!
I would love to interview X-Cesssive. he was not merely agreat singer in his own right but a great scenemaker who knew everybody and I would love to hear what he has to say about the late lamented Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys among many. I lived in the same hotel as Stiv for awhile and I liked Stiv a whole lot but I wasn’t a close friend. X-Sessive was on the scene at CBGB’s since the age of fourteen and Hilly adored him. Everybody did.
Since Pregnant weren’t playing I hung around for the first band, who i loved, and will review very soon, mostly outta respect for X-Sessive.
Grace is her father’s daughter and she worked the room like a pro and can light up the twenty-something, punkyish audience with “Hong Kong Garden” and “Why Can’t I touch It?” sure, but with some song I’ve never heard of before “Shimmy Shimmy Cocopuffs”? If you say so, Grace.
You can hire her for your club, party, bar mitzvah on facebook under the name Grace Of Spades. Maybe she’ll bring her Dad along?