One of the many things we here at TMOTTGoGo like to do is catch up with some of the familiar faces around the Go-Go circuit and just have a question and answer session with them regarding their influences, impacts and vision in the Go-Go world.   We were able to sit down and chat for a moment with one of the most laid back brothers in the industry --  Keith Robinson.  This 27 year old icon gave us some insight on what it’s like being one of the top rated percussionist in the city.

Oh -- my fault.  For those who may not be too sure as to who Keith Robinson is, let’s see if I can break it down mathematically.
Keith Robinson of 10th Street, NW DC, has been playing congas for over 17 years.  He can be seen on stage with one of the most influential bands in the city -- Backyard.  Although he is known to rock a party, when he takes his shirt off and  raps that towel around his head --  watch out!  The real fun is just about to begin.
Keith Robinson is none other than famed percussionist – Hot Sauce!
 
 

TMOTT:  First of all, where did your name, Hot Sauce, come from?

SAUCE:  This guy name Rick Hobey.  He passed away a few years ago of Leukemia.  We had a band back in High School.  We were trying to come up with a name and he just called me "Too Cool."  But that wasn’t going to work.  So, he started calling me Hot Sauce.  And, I was like, "Hot Sauce?"  I just said, "I’ll ride and see if it catches my ear."

TMOTT:  Who influenced you?  Who gave you the idea to want to play congas?

SAUCE:  Tyrone Williams -aka- Jungle Boogie.  My brother, Kevin Robinson used to play guitar with the Peacemakers.  He used to take me to some of the shows, like the Howard Theatre, Coliseum.  I was digging their conga player, Loose Booty.  I think at the time, Peacemakers was opening.  So, by the time Rare Essence came on, and I seen Jungle Boogie playing them congas, he looked like he was doing the smurf or something.  He had this style as if he wasn’t even touching them joints, man.  It was amazing.  It was smooth, and he wasn’t ‘bamafied’ with it.  He had finesse.  That’s when I said, "I want to learn how to play them things."  I just started banging on the desk and stuff like that.

TMOTT:  How long after that did you get your first congas?

SAUCE:  It was about two or three years from then.  I got my first congas back in 1984.  My mom bought me two goombox for Christmas.  I didn’t have the other two to go with the set, so I used to just use my two goombox and a trash can and a bucket.

TMOTT:  So, Jungle Boogie influenced you?

SAUCE:  Yea.  Back in them days, a lot of bands had potential.  I was just looking at different conga players and just listening to everybody.  You had guys like Mickey (one of the guys I still listen to) I’ve got much respect for that brother.  Spanky, Skin Tight, my man Go-Go Billy, Howdy-Doody.  There were a whole bunch of them.  There were so many bands and so many conga players, I was just listening to a lot of people.  There were a lot of different styles out.  I just narrowed it down really to like Jungle Boogie and Mickey.  Then Mickey took over because Jungle Boogie retired.  I always use the example, "First there was Dr. J, then came (Michael) Jordan."  Jungle Boogie and Mickey.  I always use that example.

TMOTT:  What band did you admire the most?

SAUCE:  Rare Essence.  But, once again, I was listening to bands like Petworth, Reality, Ayre Rayde and Class.  They were rocking.  Chance Band were even rocking.  This is my motivation.  Actually, what keeps me going today is Backyard, especially my man Buggy.  Sometimes when I’m slowing down and don’t realize it, he just gives me that eye or hold that stick up in the air to just pick it up.  When I look around and see all the fellahs smiling, all the cues are on time, and see the crowd partying, I have a good time.  But, if there was no Buggy, there would be no Sauce.  Can’t do it by yourself.  Jordan can’t do it by himself.

TMOTT:  Who was the first band that you hooked up with?

SAUCE:  A whole lot of basement bands.  A lot of back alley type bands.  Total Groove Connection.

TMOTT:  How did you hook up with Backyard?

SAUCE:  Actually it was around the year 1989.  Me and our manager, Coop, go way back.  We’ve been knowing each other for years.  He was in one of the bands that I used to play with.  He played drums.  He knows how to play roto-tombs too.  He had a band, Backyard, that he was managing, and he wanted me to come and a show the conga player some stuff.  I came to a couple of their practices and a couple of their shows, showing them some stuff.  And, Coop just slid me in there.  Everybody was vibing with me.

TMOTT:  So, Coop has been the manager of the band since day one?

SAUCE:  To be honest, I think Gingus can answer that one better, because Gingus had the band together, and they used to practice in WalkJam’s basement.  At that time, they had some lady managing them.  They were  trying to get WalkJam to manage them.  After some kind of controversy, WalkJam kicked them out of the basement.  But, Gingus kept the band going.  I don’t know exactly how he hooked up with Coop.  I think it’s because they were both uptown.

TMOTT:  We know how tight you are on stage, but how tight is the band as one.

SAUCE:  Family.  We’ve been down together so long, it’s like it’s a business, but we’ve grown into a family.  When you see me in the street or in a mall or something, I’m with one of them.  Or I may be by myself or with my man Mike.  I’ve got a couple of people outside of the band that I hang with.  But even they know the band.  They are close with the band.  I don’t really hang around a lot of people, but I’ve got love for everybody who’s got love for Backyard.

TMOTT:  What advice do you give younger bands coming up and trying to make it in the business.

SAUCE:  Stay dedicated.  Keep practicing.  Because it ain’t going to come over night.  I still don’t feel as though we’ve reached our peak.  So, my advice is to keep practicing and don’t get discouraged, if you ain’t getting the shows or people are not acting like they’re participating as far as the members missing practice.  It’s hard work and dedication.

TMOTT:   How did you feel when you had to perform at places like the old Black Scorpion and you see like nine people up in that joint and you have to play?

SAUCE:  Man, I’m sad.

TMOTT:  I mean where’s the motivation, when you are the opening band?

SAUCE:  The motivation was like, sometimes situations like that, what really got to me was when Coop (who is famous for meetings) would have a meeting right before the show, and would be like, "look, I know it ain’t nothing but about 10 people in here, but these little bit of people out here, they love y’all.  They came out to see y’all whether they got in free or are paying.  You never know, one person can see y’all and spread the word, so we’ve got to play like it’s a packed house out here.  We’ve got to go hard."  Once that motivation started, Gingus took over certain situations.  For years to come, let’s say that the crowd stepped up to about 50 people.  Gingus would be like, "You know what Coop told us, Joe.  We’ve got to rock.  These people paid their money, so we’ve got to play like there’s a hundred people up in here. A hundred plus."  Because you never know, one person could spread the word and say, "That Backyard joint was empty.  They sounded like garbage."  You’ve got to play hard.  Every show counts.

TMOTT:  That reminds me one night when you guys played out in Fredricksburg and then had to come up to the LaPena and play.  It was about 1:00 in the morning.  I went up to Buggy and said, "I know you’re tired.  How are you going to keep that pace up?"  and Buggy was like, "Got to man."

SAUCE:  Yea… that’s Buggy.

TMOTT:  What was one of your worst experiences on stage?

SAUCE:  The worst experience has got to be the one down Del Rio’s.  I mean, I have experienced a lot of situations, but never like that.  I mean we was rocking it.  Everybody was just feeling it.  All of a sudden, I hear something – a loud bang.  And, I’m thinking it’s the speakers or something that busted.  Shots rang out on the stage while we were performing.  I ain’t never experienced anything like that.

TMOTT:  What was your best experience at a show?

SAUCE:  My best experience -- I wasn’t even playing.  I came to a show late.  And, my man Jungle Boogie was playing with Backyard.  I took my shirt off and started yelling, "JUNGLE-BOOGIE."

TMOTT:  When was this?

SAUCE:  In 1996 at the Ibex.  Trouble, Chuck, and EU – I meant to mention them earlier.  Much respect to them too.   Oo-La Tony and Sugar Foots.

TMOTT:  You all have played with a rack of rappers, such as Scarface and others like that.  Which show do you remember as your best show?

SAUCE:  Georgia Avenue Day with Redman and Ole’ Dirty Bastard joined in with us.   That was a good show there.  ODB and Los was going together and it was nice.

TMOTT:  Where are some of the places that you all have played out of town?

SAUCE:  Frostburg, Norfolk, Greensboro, Rielly, Atlanta.  I want to go to Japan.  Just a couple of weeks ago, we had some people from Japan up in the Met.

TMOTT:  What other places would you like to play?  Where does the band as a whole want to go.

SAUCE:  National.  Break it down in one word.  It’s out there and people have heard us, even in Germany.  I want to be a national act.

TMOTT:  Do you think go-go as a whole can do national?

SAUCE:  It’s potential, but I don’t know.  Politics, man I don’t know what’s going on.  I’m just playing, man.

TMOTT:  What do you think the problem is?

SAUCE:  Maybe go-go is not accepted as real music in some people’s eyes.  We might be to a point where rap used to be a decade ago.  We’re getting heard, but some people are still not accepting it.  Some people say that we duplicate a lot.  And a lot of times, go-go has been exposed even to that next level, Grace Jones with Ju-Ju in the background.  Tried to do movies with my man Little Beats.  These guys are legends to my eyes for real.

TMOTT:  What do you think about the DJ’s, such as DJ Kool and DJ Flexxx?  They might go out up and down the coast doing shows.  How they might have somebody from Atlanta or somewhere thinking that’s what go-go is.

SAUCE:  Well, with go-go, you have to be there to experience it.  You can’t accept go-go and appreciate it from a DJ and a turn-table.  If you’re out of town somewhere, you might think that it’s a fake rap with a wack beat over the top of it.  I’ve got much respect for Kool and Flexxx.  But, you’ve just got to be there to respect it.

TMOTT:  What’s up and coming for Backyard?

SAUCE:  There is one Live CD in the making already.

TMOTT:  When should we be looking forward to seeing that?

SAUCE:  All I can say is that it’s being processed.  I ain’t going to say.  Just keep your mouth watering.

TMOTT:  Who is your favorite group?

SAUCE:  WU-Tang Clan.  Capone and Nore.  I like a lot of rappers.  I ain’t a fan though.

TMOTT:  Have you have played with anyone outside of Backyard, such as acts that may have come from out of town?

SAUCE:  I would have loved to play with Maze or Earth, Wind & Fire.

TMOTT:  What is your relationship with the conga players from some of these other bands.

SAUCE:  To my knowledge, I’m cool with all of them.  They all show love.  When they come out.  Guys like Mickey, Smoke, Bojack, Wink.  They all show love.

TMOTT:  How do you feel about the youngins out there that are learning and looking up to you?

SAUCE:  That’s kind of funny, man.  I ain’t use to that.  It’s good to hear though.  I have a lot of people come up to me all the time saying things like, "When are you going to show me something, man?"  I’ll show them, but then I’m like, "If you want to work more, we can hook up."  I don’t have any problems working out with them, but when I come to the shows, I just try to be myself.  I don’t smoke or drink.  So, when they see me, I’ve got my towel and my stick bag.   I try to just look like a band member.  I come to do my job.  I might try to throw on something to look nice, but I come up out of it.  I’m down in my tank-top, shorts, towel on my head or something.

TMOTT:  Who would you say is the heart and soul of the band?

SAUCE:  Buggy and Gingus.  Buggy --  man, we take breaks – I go out and get water or walk around and sight-see, come back to the stage and Buggy is still sitting on them drums, just sitting there in his boxers, just chillin and waiting to play.  I go and get his water for him.  And, sometimes he’d be still doing rolls on the drums while we’re on a break or talking to another drummer from Northeast or another band --  just working and showing each other material.   Dedicated.  I’d say between Buggy and Gingus and Coop, because that motivation, when a lot of us are down, they just bring that thing back up in us.