"A soul night in a punk rock tiki bar? This I gotta see! a man once remarked to DJ Connie T. Empress, founding member of the Empire State Soul Club (ESSC). If you feel the same, you should know that the ESSC takes over the back room at Otto's Shrunken Head in the East Village on the second Saturday of every month, with Empress spinning her 45s along with a changing roster of guest DJs for a room full of happy dancers who are guaranteed to hear more than a few discs that they've never heard before."
"I've been doing this for 40 years, she lets us know. It all started at a long-gone joint called The Dive, a former belly dancing club, where they would just let anybody up there, Empress recalls. I came up with my little box of records and a black and white TV, and I just sort of fell into it sort of by accident, she says."
"Over the years, she has set up shop in various venues such as the Mudd Club, Tramps, Coney Island High and the North River Bar. There were various names as well: Get On The Good Foot, Soulfinger and an earlier version of the ESSC that was founded by Empress, Warren Lee, and Jeff (The Chef) Loshinsky. That was a party with a theme song Big Bird by Eddie"
Connie T. Empress founded and runs the Empire State Soul Club, a monthly soul-night residency in the back room of Otto's Shrunken Head in the East Village. Empress, age 71, has been DJing for roughly 40 years and curates sets of 45-rpm records, often unearthing discs unfamiliar to regulars. The party features a rotating roster of guest DJs and draws enthusiastic dancers. The ESSC evolved through several venues and names, including Get On The Good Foot and Soulfinger, and earlier collaborations with Warren Lee and Jeff (The Chef) Loshinsky. The current incarnation recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.
Read at www.amny.com
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