You say ta mah toe...(would that be an original blue FAT CAT ta mah toe Allen?)

Submitted by Al Kanovsky 6/19/13

...I say to mate oe---he says ka steel ya, I say ka stig lee eh---let's call the whole thing off. Last night as I headed to the Original Fat Cats (more about OFC later) I made up my mind to let Albert Castiglia have it his way as far as pronunciation was concerned. He's leaving in a few days on a summer long road trip to return in late Sept. and I wanted to say "so long" on good terms. That is until I saw the shirts. Tee shirts, tanks, little strap things. Black with white letters declaring It's ka-steel-ya Dammit!. It seemed to me that he was escalating the question to all out war. Not having the means to answer shirts with shirts I decided to let him have it his way. My apologies to all New Yorkers of Italian descent who know that I was right. Additionally, a member of his band, Bob Amsel, is a top notch criminal defense attorney. So in the event Albert throttled me or broke my knee caps, Bob would probably get him off. Albert plays his way into your heart and has loyal fans not only amongst us civilians but musicians as well. The band was hot and plenty of guys got up to jam, including Dave Shelley and Billie Vasquez. BLUES fans from all over south Florida had the place overflowing on to the street.

The Original Fat Cats----South Florida has a few iconic BLUES bars. Some new, some historic. Tobacco Road dates back to 1912. It is the oldest bar in Miami but may go the way of all things past in the near future. The Titanic, Fish Tales, The Funky Biscuit, Buzz's, Bamboo Room, Big Easy, the Globe, Boston's on the Beach, Fish House, B.B. Kings, Maguire's Hill 16, Rosey Baby, the Native Florida Tap Room and the Bayside Grill(the Keys) are all South Florida BLUES joints. The Original Fat Cats was founded in 2003. I have socks, jeans and t-shirts that are older but look better. I described Kilmo's NFTR as "inelegant." In comparison it is the Buckingham Palace. Anyone of the aforementioned is the Taj Mahal next to OFC. The saving grace is live music 7 nights a week. If your tastes run to pinot grigio(even the house brand) or candlelight or even service, forget it. The only guarantee is you will have a good time with friendly folks and good music from the top musicians in town. The décor over the bar consists of skate-boards, many of which are signed by past champs, and hub-caps(not signed). Seating: plain wooden stools at the bar and tables. No peanut or clam shells on the floor. (I've been in joints that had that, sometimes both). All in all it is place to come to and listen to the BLUES. Not recommended for first dates of the snooty persuasion. 

If you missed this "Good Bye Mr. Castiglia" you have another shot at it Saturday night at The Funky Biscuit. I'll be pulling a double header and catching the 8pm show by Little Mike & The Tornadoes at Arts Garage then heading over to The Funky Biscuit where the show starts later. Save me a seat if you get there before me!

       

Al's Disclaimer:

A short note: The reason I write this is because I love music and words. I do not book acts. I do not promote acts. I do not accept invitations to review artists. I go to venues of my own choice. When and where is not influenced by anything other than who I would like to hear that night or day. If I don't like what I hear, I won't write about it. When I like it I let you all know. I never mention a name without asking permission. "Pardon me, Miss. Would you like to dance?"       

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