Reggae / ska / New Orleans style band formed by members of The Fabulous Dog Tones. Members included Tee Vee Feldman (vocals, percussion, drums), Pete Narron (guitar), Bob Friedman (bass, keyboards, vocals), and Tim ‘Dr. Facechild’ Baker (drums, flute, sax), with Neil Wolfson (guitar ex-Rude Shoes). The group performed at the Famous Ballroom and as a house band at the Marble Bar (located in the basement of the Congress Hotel on Franklin Street) where they could be seen as the opening act for groups such as Squeeze, Talking Heads, Muddy Waters, James Cotton, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and others.
Courtesy of Bob Friedman
The program for the 3rd annual End of the World show described the group as:
“Bruce ‘Chuck Colson’ Braunsteen emigrated to America in ’65 from his native Schleswig-Holstein where his family name was Braunstain. Until recently, when he switched to guitar, Bruce made his living in Marineland Florida swallowing alligators. His sign is (+).
Steve ‘Sam Giancana’ Josephine after traveling around the world with a troop of roller-skating monkeys has recently become one. Known for his cool nerves and calm demeanor, he has been known to split a 10:30 bar with a razor at 50 yards.
Robert ‘John Fean’ Beefalo was once an opium smuggler for the CIA in Cambodia, spent several years not thinking, and last year co-founded the NADA – Pureart movement. As a committed anti-artist there is no work in his portfolio and he sings just to keep from drooling.
Doctor Timothy Facechild was a highly respected neurosurgeon in Tanzania where in 1968 he “received orders from Saturn” to preach the gospel of syncopation. He plays drums as well as Manzella and Stritch and grows art in his spare time.
Snooky ‘Bebe Rabozo’ Gibbs was the product of an unholy union between a Jamaican beggar-dwarf and Ricardo Montalban, Snooky claims to have killed over 1000 men and maimed twice that many. Often described as lonesome, ornery, and mean by his friends, he enjoys People Magazine, nitrous oxide, and do-it-yourself tattooing.
Captain Harmonica Sparky at 87 is the senior member and spiritual leader of the Loose Shoes. Normally preferring to remain in the background, tonight he will be making one of his rare public appearances. The captain suffered the loss of his sight and both of his arms in a typhoon off Nicaragua but he can still dance just as good as he wants.”
Feldman eventually became co-owner of the Marble Bar.
Feldman and Baker left Loose Shoes in 1979 with Feldman joining the Downstairs Band. The LSRB later became known as Rude Shoes and eventually evolved into Mambo Combo. Friedman also played in the Shameless Mooks.
1980 recordings at Flite Three Studios included the original songs “It Hurts So Good,” and “Iran Ran Ran” released as a cassette single.
Friedman, Wolfson, and Narron formed GRC Studios in 1980 (see Rude Shoes).
