A while back, we ran a series of charachter sketches of "Peeps in Da Hood" that we run into on the simcha circuit. The concept struck a chord, and readers contributed many others. The links to those posts and the peeps described therein are appended to the end of this post.
After some recent gigs, it's become clear that it's time to bring the series back, so here are a few more to get things started.
1) The Business Card Kids. The business card kids hang out in front of the band with the sole goal of snatching as many business cards as possible while they think the bandleader isn't looking. Not to be confused with the kids who ask for cards, or the "watchers", a group of chassidic kids who spend the entire gig glued to the floor directly in front of the band.
2) Just call him "Srully Reverb". "Srully Reverb" is the chassidic singer independently hired by the client to sing at their affair. He shows up with a cheapie Ibanez or Zoom reverb pedal which he much prefers over the band's effects rack. After all, the band's effects rack won't add enough noise and signal distortion to his sound. He uses tons of delay/verb and if he has any specific EQ preferences, they will be towards making his tone more annoying.
"Srully" usually does a bad Lipa or Michoel Shnitzler impersonation all night long. He'll sing all of the latest stuff, and the fact that the crowd doesn't seem to know any of it won't faze him in the slightest. A consumate pro with a good sense of propriety and politics, "Srully Reverb" won't let a simple thing like the bride's request for him to stop get in the way of his singing "Usid" or "Rabosei Mir Vellen Bentchen".
3) The Harmony Singer. He comes along with "Srully Reverb". It's often a package deal, only he works for free. As a team these guys are even better than when "Srully" is performing on his own. Their idea of a great time is to repeat a similiar vocal shtick over and over until it's coming out everyone's ears. If they like the way they've just embellished the B section of Lma'aloh, then there's absolutly no reason not to stay on the B part, repeating it the exact same way 30 or 40 times in a row.
The emailbag is now open...
Here are the previous posts and some of the peeps they introduced:
Blog in Dm: Peeps from Da Hood - The NY Simcha Scene
1) The Carlebach Purist
2) The rude Yeshiva Bachur
3) The drunk Yeshiva Bachur
4) The spaced-out bandleader
5) The pompous Rosh Yeshiva
6) The dance Nazi
Blog in Dm: Reader email re: Peeps in Da Hood
The Rosh Yeshiva's Chamberlain.
Blog in Dm: More Reader Email - Peeps In Da Hood
1) The Accountant
2) The Program Director
3) The Dave Berg Character
4) Mostly Music's Favorite Customer
5) Hora Lovers vs. Hora Haters
Blog in Dm: Yet More On Peeps In Da Hood
Blog in Dm: Still More Peeps In Da Hood
1) Volume Boy
2) Guitar Face
Blog in Dm: More Peeps!
The Air Traffic Controller:
Blog in Dm: The Peeps Keep Coming
1) The Mapquest Specialist
2) The Lulav Shaker
Blog in Dm: Email from a "Peep"
The "jump/signal the final note at the end of a set" guy.
Blog in Dm: The Peeps Keep On Coming
The Hand Shaker
The Yomim Director
The Keitzad Guy
The Inquiring Kids
Blog in Dm: The Peeps Are Out In Force!
"Yoidi and Ben Bag Bag boys"
The "professional singer who insists that the chosson 'wants me to sing'"
The "gimme free stuff kids"
The grumpy grandfather of the bride
