James Browns Bassist

Last night, a few friends and I spent a night out in Williamsburg on a food crawl. We started at Mekelburg’s, then we stopped by Radegast next for their Bratwurst.

We didn’t mean to stay long at Radegast, we finished our meal, but on our way out, we saw a live band prepping for their set. The trumpeter was wearing a scarf with a trucker hat that said “Make Money Not Friends.” Another African American dude with square spectacles and a collared shirt and blazer reminded me of my high school religion teacher. Then there was a 5’1 Asian girl warming up on her sax. All the boys knew that this band was about to cook. We took a seat at the bar and got a round of Amaretto sours.

At 10pm, the band was introduced as their frontman, an African American gentleman with a gray beard and a top hat, came in. They played a few of James Brown’s hits and a few other funky tracks. James Brown is heavily sampled in old-school hip hop tracks, so many of the songs brought me back to my breakdancing days.

They went on intermission, we tipped them, then exited the bar, heading over to Martha’s Bakery around the corner for some cake and tea as we raved about their performance. At Martha’s, we found out that the bassist was James Browns bassist for 36 years. Yes, James Brown the legendary funk pioneer considered one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. I thought they were just a cover band, but James Browns legit bassist just casually came into my neighborhood bar and performed a monster of a set.

We finished our dessert quickly, made our way back to Radegast to see the rest of their set. End to end, it was the best live performance I’ve seen in a minute.

Taking a picture with Fred Thomas and the JBs after their performance.