Band Bio

The first Barbecue Bob & the Spareribs show took place at the Furnald Folk Festival at Columbia University in 1981, followed by shows at the Postcrypt coffee house. A long residency at Dan Lynch’s blues bar (booked by blues artist Bill Dicey) followed. Looking for a neighborhood bar, the band settled in at the Blue Rose Lounge at 106th St. & Broadway (NYC). Bob stocked the jukebox with his favorites and began booking acts as diverse as The Holmes Brothers, The Raunch Hands, Bobby Radcliff, and The Dogmatics (from Boston). During this period, the band released two 45’s on their own label, Rib records, (“Linda Lu” b/w “Shake Your Money Maker” and “My Barbecue Baby” b/w “Oedipus Rex”), acquired drummer/pianist Howie Wyeth, and began a series of shows opening for national acts at the original Lone Star Café (13th & 5th Ave. NYC). The Spareribs were still playing the Blue Rose and Dan Lynch’s, and had expanded to Philadelphia, doing frequent shows at Taker’s Café (Germantown) and Bacchanal (13th & South St.). The Ribs released two full-length cassettes (“The Best So Far”, and “Shut up and Play”) and began a long relationship with the Rodeo Bar (27th & 3rd Ave. NYC) around 1987.



The Spareribs had by this time begun playing in New Jersey clubs such as Wallace’s (East Orange), Tierney’s (Montclair), and opening for nationally touring acts at the Stanhope House (Stanhope). Two more full-length cassettes followed (“Four on the Floor”, with Simon Chardiet on guitar, and “Wages of Sin”, with Dan Hovey and Ira Spinrad on guitars).

At this point the Spareribs inked up (in blood) with DaDa Records, a D.I.Y. label, releasing two 7”mono records “Snack Time”(’96) and “Side Order” (’97) .


They included the “A” sides(*), as well as a third song from these mono sessions(Drinkin' and Gamblin')on their first full-length CD “After School Special”.

1.Bad Luck Boy*
2.Take a Fool's Advice
3.Victim of Sucess
4.You Put a Buzz on me
5.Drivin' Me Crazy
6.Swamp Thing(Instrumental)
7.Drinkin' & Gamblin'
8.You're not Around
9.Nothin' Shakin'
10.I Got a Hole in My Soul
11.Lookin' for a Girl*
12.Call Me Gone
13.Monologue
14.Wade in the Water(Instrumental)

Robert Pomeroy-Harmonica, guitar, vox
Ira Spinrad-Guitar all tracks
Malcolm Tex-Drums all tracks but 1,5,11
Scott Byrne-Drums on 1,5,11
Tom Diello-Fender Bass all tracks
and:
Charles Otis-Percussion
Mike Latrell-Piano & Hammond B3

Tracks 1,5,&11 Recorded live by Scott Byrne in the Rutgers University Music Lab on 8-track Reel to Reel(may 1995)tracks 1 & 11 released as Mono 45/33 RPM singles on DaDa Records, as (Snack Time)Lookin' For A Girl/No Such luck and (Side Order)Bad luck Boy/My Medicine. Track 5, Drinkin' & Gamblin' was released on an Indy Comp. on Kitra Records(New Brunswick)

Track 13 was recorded live at Coney Island High(NYC)upstairs lounge of course.

All the rest was recorded live at Coyote Studios, Brooklyn, NY on May 19, 1996 By Albert Caiati


A Brief list of musicians over the years(recorded* and otherwise)

Guitar:
Artie Gold
Kevin Trainor*
Jack Petruzzelli
Ira Spinrad*
Simon Chardiet*
Bobby Radcliff*
Dan Hovey*
Bill Thompson
Steve Antonakos
Andy Karp
Zonder Kennedy

Bass:
Brian Miller*
Jay Elfenbein*
Mark Ettinger
Tom Diello*
Dominick Zarillo*
Johnny Katonah*
Scott Kitchen*
Craig Robison
Ron Tullier
Keith Christopher
Dan Baird
Dave Dreiwitz*
Skip Ward
Simon Chardiet*

Drums:
Dave Capello*
Howie Wyeth*
Charles Otis*
Scott Byrne*
Ira Kay*
Dave Ross*
Charlie Shaw
Glenn Healy*
JJ Murphy*
Nick Ruggieri
Rex "Nervous Rex" Wilson

Venues/Clubs/Festivals

Road Work:

Bucko's(Huron, Oh.)
Wilbert's(Cleveland, Oh.)
The Beer Barrel(Put-in-Bay, Oh.)
Danny's(New Philadelphia, Oh.)
The Purple Onion(New Philadelphia, Oh.)
the Oasis(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
Army/Navy Club(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
Hoop's Lounge(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
4th & Long(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
Scotty's Place(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
Down Under(E. Liverpool, Oh.)
State Line(E. Palestine, Oh.)
Main St. saloon (akron,oh)

Moondog's (Pittsburgh, Pa)
The Funhouse (Bethlehem, Pa.)
Bacchanal (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Taker's Cafe (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Doc Watson's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Red, hot and blue (Cherry Hill, Pa.)
John and Peter's (New hope, Pa.)

Slippery Noodle(Indianapolis, In.)

Smoke Daddy's(Chicago)
Lounge Axe(Chicago)

5 Spot(Nashville, Tn.)
Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie(Nashville, Tn.)
Exit Inn(Nashville, Tn.)
3rd & Lindsley(Nashville, Tn.)
Blues City Cafe(Memphis, Tn.)

Hal & Mal's(Jackson, Miss.)

Loose Caboose(Monroe, La.)
The Collegiate(Monroe La.)
Checkpoint Charlie's(New Orleans, La.)
Lounge Lizards(New Orleans, La.)
Circle Bar(New Orleans, La.)
El Morocco(New Orleans, La.)
Bank St. Bar(New Orleans, La.)

The Peerless(Anniston, Al.)
Brother's(Jacksonville, Al.)
The Nick(Birmingham, Al.)
The Chukker(Tuscaloosa, Al.)
The Varsity(Tuscaloosa, Al.)
The wine cellar (birmingham,ala.)

40 Watt Club(Athens, Ga.)
Tasty World(Athens, Ga.)
Blind Pig(Atlanta, Ga.)

The Purple Pelican (charleston,sc)
Bert's Island Characters(Charleston, S.C.)
Local 506(Chapel Hill, N.C.)
The Berkely Cafe(Raleigh, N.C.)

Iota(Arlington, Va.)
Andy's(Chestertown, Md.)
Dogfish Head(Del.)

Madam's Organ(Washington, D.C.)

New York State:

The bayou (mt.vernon,ny)
7 Willow st.(port chester,ny)
The turning point (piermont,ny)
Snug Harbor (new paltz, ny)
Tinker st. cafe (woodstock, ny)
Ben Dover's(Pelham, ny)
Mike's Pelham Grill(Formerly Ben Dover's)

New Jersey:

Wallaces(Orange)
Tierney's(Montclair)
the Great Notch Inn(Little Falls)
Stanhope House(Stanhope)
Crossroads(garwood)
Mrs. J's(Asbury Park)
Crossroads(asbury park)
Court Tavern(New Brunswick)
Triumph Brew Pub(Princeton)
Plum St. Pub(new brunswick)
the Budapest(new brunswick)
Scotland Yard(Hoboken)
Liquid Lounge(Hoboken)
Loop Lounge (teaneck)
Back Porch(Rahway)
Waiting Room(Rahway)
Deck House(Asbury Park)
Ragin' Cajun(Belmar)
Jason's(belmar)
Main St. Cafe(Red Bank)
The Circle Bar (absecon)
Texas-arizona (hoboken)
T.J.'s Hideaway (s.plainfield)
assembly point(belleville)
the red cafe( i don't remember it either, but we played there 1/23/93!)
the centennial house(cranford)
sneaky pete's (2/20/93 ?!!!!)
marita's cantina (new brunswick)
chatfields (gladstone,nj)
cafe newz(remember that one! new brunswick)
palm grill(morristown)
The Office(Montclair, Morristown, & Chatham)
c.c.muggs (union,nj)
Melody bar (new brunswick)
Downtown cafe(red bank)
Ideal clam bar(secaucus)
Cadillac bar (formerly boo-boo's, hoboken)
Boo Boo's(Hoboken)
O'Shea's (preceded the saint, asbury park)
The Saint(Asbury Park)
Shilleleagh club(w.orange)
the Old homestead(irvington)
the Old bay (new brunswick)
Town pub (bloomfield)
Maxwell's (hoboken)
The deep sea bar (teaneck)
Marita's cantina (Princeton)
Harrison ave. tavern (west orange)
North end tavern (union/maplewood)
Dolls place (new brunswick)
The Elysian (hoboken)
Rockefeller's (hampton)
Hamilton pub (newark)
Crawfish fest (waterloo)
The stone pony (asbury park)
McCormicks (new brunswick)
The Dirt Club (bloomfield)

Festivals:

Crawfish Festival(waterloo, nj)
New Jersey Jazz & Blues(Red Bank, nj)
Guitarbeque(Asbury Park)
Birmingham Jam (w/Pinetop Perkins)
National Folk Fest, Bangor, Me.(w/Pinetop Perkins)
Music at NJPAC(Newark, nj)
Muskonetcong River Festival(nj)
Westport Blues & Barbecue Festival(ct)

NewYorkCity:

Postcrypt Coffee House
Ear Inn
Dan Lynch
Lone Star Cafe
Lone Star Roadhouse
Rodeo Bar
Brian's Place
North River Bar
Wetlands
Manny's Car Wash
Chicago Blues
Fanny's Oyster Bar
Blue Rose Lounge
Brother's Barbecue
Gonzales Y Gonzales
Louisiana Community Bar & Grill
Finian's Rainbow
Delta 88
Mondo Cane
Mondo Perso
Kenny's Castaways
The Bitter End
Barmacy
Nightingales
St.Mark's Bar
Abilene
Wonderland
Jack the Ribber/Continental Divide/the Continental
Coney Island High
Manitoba's (nyc)
Chelsea commons (nyc)
The R Bar(nyc)
Two boots (brooklyn, ny)
The Red Lion (nyc)
Mcgovern's (nyc)
Ludlow st. cafe (nyc)