....Ronnie Spector at McCarren Park Pool....

McCarren Park pool floor.

Lots of new people have been dropping by FIB in the last couple days from all over the world due to getting picked as Blog of Note. It's wild to me as I am accustomed to just NYC readers in general. I'm getting lots of private emails on top of the comments from homesick Brooklynites who live all over the world. I even got an email from Jerry Lawson, the original singer from the Brooklyn do wop group The Persuasions! A weird factoid about the Persuasions is that Frank Zappa helped them get their first recording contract! Click here to read about Jerry's new project.

I want to urge everyone new here to check out my "blogarama", I'd say it's 95% NYC based and you will be entertained for hours!

I got to hear some NYC musical history yesterday over at McCarren Park Pool. Since there are many who don't know this who are reading today, McCarren Park pool is a huge public swimming pool in Greenpoint Brooklyn built during the WPA era of the 1930's that hasn't had water in it for years. The pool is drained and the audience hangs out "in the pool". It's been used as a concert venue for the past few years, the acts are up above on the "pool deck". Usually it is packed with hipsters who like to do things like play dodgeball and go on the slip and slide but as the hipsters don't really go to the "oldies" shows (they have no idea what they are missing!) yesterday was not that crowded (with "hipsters").

Ronnie Spector, former Ronette, a total Goddess and Phil Spector survivor played many of her early gigs in Brooklyn.
Check out my video of Ronnie singing "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" (written by Johnny Thunders of the NY Dolls) which she dedicated to Joey Ramone who produced the album "She Talks to Rainbows" that she performs this song on. How's THAT for NYC rock and roll history?! ANYWAY, lyrically speaking this is one of FIB's favorite songs ever so I was thrilled. (It's a really sad song but regular readers know FIB is a sappy sentimentalist!) Guitarist and legendary local producer, most notable for the Ramones, Daniel Rey, wasn't too shabby on guitar either, love that twang!

Remember to look at that blog list people!