D.T. Buffkin in action
July 25 marks the one-year anniversary of Faust and to celebrate, the biweekly DJ night 45 Friday will feature the deepest cuts of San Anto soul, conjunto and otherwise bitchin' old school tunes. To get in the know, we dropped an email to musicians and curators D.T. Buffkin and Rae D. Cabello to educate us on the finer points of 45 Friday, including the tavern's new dining options by Crossroad Kitchen.
How did 45 Friday get started?
DTB: Rae and I, both being musicians, would go out for a beer with friends and end up annoying most of those around us (our ladies, generally) with just talking music and our mutual love for Texas music, and more exclusively, San Anto chit.
RDC: We share an admiration for music of all realms (R&B, soul, country, jazz, etc). And although we don't consider ourselves DJs, we want to find a way to share the music we listen to with the public—specifically the more rare and overlooked material you won't find anywhere else.
As musicians, when you're spinning, how do you put together a set list? What sort of vibe are you trying to create?
RDC: As far as vibe goes, we'd like the music to spark conversations amongst friends and strangers inside of Faust while also maintaining a relaxed environment. We want people to get the feeling that they won't hear music like this anywhere else in San Antonio. And when they have enough booze in them, they'll start swaying their hips.
DTB: Usually, I tend to play tracks that I've been digging lately. Often, if something is seemingly too corny or over the top, i.e. (Tanya Tucker's "San Antonio Stroll," or Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias' "To All the Girls I've Loved Before") people dig the shit out of it, which is nice. Flaco always kills. It depends on the lubrication and attention of the crowd. If it was a slow night, which it has never been, I might throw in some Lady Day, a ballad or something, to kind of highlight the lonely drinking, but, since it's rarely slow, I don't. However, there are some nice subtleties to playing a ballad by, say, Nina Simone, when everyone is getting rowdy. The juxtaposition can be jarring, in a good way.
How do your styles differ?
RDC: For me, I mainly collect but not limited to, '50s/'60s R&B and soul 45s. Anything San Antonio related I pick up. I'm also a consultant for Chicago based record label Numero Group. I did the research and provided some of the audio and image samples for the Dynamic Label release and the Mickey & the Soul Generation release.
DTB: Rae is a collector's collector, so he plays rare shit that sometimes costs him a pretty penny. I've known him to drop three bills on a 45! He likes to stay off the radar as far as playing the hits, which is nice. We all, hopefully, know the Big O (Otis Redding) is dope as fuck, but I can't hear "Try a Little Tenderness" or "Dock of the Bay" again. Not when you could really drop some shit that makes serious listeners wanna buy a round for the DJ, just to see what they're spinning. I try to do the same, but primarily with honky tonk tracks, or early rock 'n' roll, but we all have similar tastes and will move through genres together. I played Maria Callas' aria "O mio babbino caro" from the opera Gianni Schicchi recently and Rae knew exactly what it was and what it was about. That's a rare musical intellect.
Could you put together a 5 song set?
RDC:
The Eptones - "No One Else But You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Ep-m388Ys&feature=youtu.be
Willie Cooper & the Webs - "I Can't Take It No More"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPqLXipald0&feature=youtu.be
Mike & the Censations - "There's Nothing I Can Do About It"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ9aWyblplQ&feature=youtu.be
Mamie Perry - "I'm Hurted"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UONpdRKC1xs
Nappy Brown - "My Baby"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxCmxcqi7Z8
DTB:
Buck Owens - "Made in Japan"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udHeBbv0RcI
The Rolling Stones - "Tumbling Dice"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U8JlcB_BzA
The Andrews Sisters - "Rum & Coca-Cola"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxL2uNr7bk
Duke Ellington & his Orchestra - "East St. Louis Toodle-oo"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Y0cJ-aEbY
Ray Price - "For the Good Times"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phLlo_t-z-U
What's on the Crossroad Kitchen menu?
RDC: The music is a big part of the night and atmosphere in which the food is a perfect match for the music. The menu is a southern comfort inspired theme created and managed by Drew Morros & Roberta Marques. Some highlights of the menu are Hot Fried Chicken, Gumbo n Herbs, Pulled Pork Sandwich, Mac n Chz, Fried Grits, etc.
DTB: The shrimp fritters are, seriously, the best shrimp concoction I have ever had. And I eat shrimp, yo.
