He has a repertoire of over 500 songs- both covers and originals.
He seamlessly moves from Folk to Rock to Pop to Country and sneaks in some old-school R&B.
“Do you know any Johnny Cash?” one listener in attendance hopefully spouted mid-second set.
But of course, Fred Hintze did. He proudly displayed a Johnny Cash decal on his guitar case.
The Fred Hintze Experience solo show is nothing but accommodating.
The veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist has been at it a good half-century or so and has a warm, friendly banter that relaxes a crowd and draws them in. Billed as “Retro-Folk like you’ve never heard,” he’s an interpreter of classic tunes of all genres he makes his own and a fan as well. He’ll spout trivia about a song and its legendary artist before twisting and turning it into something completely different. A ballad becomes uptempo and vice-versa. Sometimes you say to yourself, “I think I know this one, and suddenly, you’ll go, Ahhh…I do.’”
My favorites in the set were his unique renditions of the Main Ingredient’s Everybody Plays the Fool and Just Don’t Want to be Lonely.
He even regaled me with some pro wrestling trivia from the stage, suddenly talking about “The world’s strongest man,” Ken Patera.
How do you not love this guy?
And ditto for the quaint Red Pipes Cafe, a lovely little Bohemian Forest Hills organic cafe/pastry shop perfect for an intimate music set. You feel like you could be in a 1950s beatnik haven. Decorations and bulletin board notes proclaim cute little sayings like, “I’ve got to get up. My coffee needs me.” Local Artists’ works adorn the walls. The servers are gracious and friendly and happy to see you. It’s just a warm vibe, and the food and coffee are excellent; with no cover for the entertainment, it’s also reasonable.
Looking towards the stage, you see a steady stream of people walking into and by the venue, making for a fun people-watching experience.
And, yes, they feature live music like The Fred Hintze Experience and open mikes (every third Thursday night).
Whether it’s The Fred Hintze Experience or the Red Pipes Cafe, what’s not to enjoy?
I had a blast and highly recommend both.

Contact Info:
The Fred Hintze Expeience
Bookings: 631-512-1714
https://www.facebook.com/frederick.hintze
[email protected]

Red Pipes Cafe
71-60 Austin St Forest Hills, NY 11375
(718) 635-0245
https://www.redpipescafe.com

Evan Ginzburg is the Senior Editor for Pro Wrestling Stories (www.prowrestlingstories.com) and a contributing writer since 2017. He’s a published author and was an Associate Producer on the Oscar-nominated movie “The Wrestler” and acclaimed wrestling documentary “350 Days.” In addition, he is a 30-plus-year film, radio, and TV veteran and a voice-over actor on the radio drama Kings of the Ring. He can be reached on Twitter @evan_ginzburg or by e-mail at [email protected].