********************************************************************** Swing News, Tuesday 8/18/98, Issue #16 Send submissions to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Send addition/deletion/address-change requests to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Send all other e-mail to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Swing Kids (and adults too), After taking last week off, Swing News and I are back. Next week may be the same story, so today's issue might have to last you the next couple of weeks. Thanks to Holly for subbing for the prior issue and to Michelle for use of her computer. On to important events! It's Rocket 88 and Dan Electro this weekend, BOTH on Friday and BOTH on Saturday. Friday's Rocket 88 show at the Largo Cultural Center looks like a winning bet, so try to make it if you can. Afterward or on Saturday, check out Dan Electro and the Silvertones at the Sugar Palm. Rocket 88 returns on Saturday to Club More in Clearwater. The following Friday, we've been invited to a special event featuring the Love Dogs from Boston. Check further down the newsletter for info. Well, we must be doing something right, because Focus magazine recently reprinted a lot of information from one of the Swing News issues. It's on page 8 of Focus's Aug 6-19 issue, and you can get it free at most music stores. Next time, maybe they'll put in an e-mail address for people to subscribe. (It's XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX) Sam ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS FRIDAY (August 21) Rocket 88 plays the Largo Cultural Center, in the Center's second swing event of the summer. If the night's anything like the first, expect a good amount of dance space, free popcorn and pretzels at your table, and two sets of music. The band starts at 8:30pm sharp and goes to about 10:30pm, allowing plenty of time to catch other Friday night events (or sleep if you prefer). The evening starts at 7pm with a reception (free food, cash bar) and a 1-hour beginner's swing-dance lesson by Arleene and James Norman. The Cultural Center has a huge stage, is nonsmoking, and has a soft, linoleum dance floor. Tickets are $10.50. It's located at 105 Central Park Drive in Largo Central Park, just SE of the Seminole and East Bay intersection. Call (727) 587-6793 for tickets or info. Or e-mail Doug at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . Also this Friday, going well into the early morning hours of 2 or 3, Dan Electro and the Silvertones play at the Sugar Palm in Ybor City. Swing show-off at 11pm. Call 248-5549 for more info. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THIS SATURDAY (August 22) Dan Electro and the Silvertones return to the Sugar Palm with their unique mix of swing and blues. Doors open at 9pm. Expect several sets, lasting to about 2am, and a DJ spinning swing tunes during breaks and to about 3am. Free beginner's dance lessons run 9:30-10:30pm. Admission is $7. Phone 248-5549 for more info. The Sugar Palm Ballroom has a large floating-wood dance floor, is nonsmoking (with adjacent rooms provided for smokers), and is located at the corner of Palm Ave and 15th St in Ybor City. Directions: Take I-4 to Exit 1, go south about 2 blocks, turn right on Palm Ave, and go to 15th St. The Sugar Palm's on the left. Turn left and pay to park or turn right and park on the street. Note: Parking in Ybor can be difficult on Saturday nights, especially later in the evening. Also this Saturday, Rocket 88 plays at Club More in downtown Clearwater (703 Franklin St), in the warehouse. Smoking is allowed, but the windows should be open. Club More has a floorboard dance floor of moderate size. Phone 466-6673. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ALSO THIS WEEK Tuesday, August 18, Tomcat Blake, described as "Rock-a-billy blues", plays at Skipper's Smokehouse. It's outdoors at 8pm with plywood, sand, and wooden-deck dance floors. Admission is $3. Skipper's is located at the corner of Skipper Road and Nebraska in North Tampa. Phone 971-0666 for more info. Thursday, August 20, the Swingin' Mooks play Club More in downtown Clearwater. Phone 466-6673. Doug Matthews writes: "This is just a note to everyone in the swing scene in the Bay Area: WE DO HAVE A LOCAL SWING BAND! For those of you who haven't been to see the Swinging Mooks...GO. If you're into the Prima-style swing, a-la The New Morty Show, check your backyard. It's already here. If we're really interested in supporting a local swing scene, we should start by supporting the only local swing band we've got. I've been following these guys from their beginnings on Thursday nights at Gasoline Alley, and they've continued to improve and expand their repertoire. The Mooks are now the regular Thursday night gig at Club More in downtown Clearwater. I encourage you to make the trip." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NEXT WEEK AND BEYOND Fri Aug 28: Denise Moore at Sugar Palm; 248-5549 Sat Aug 29: Charly Raymond Orchestra at Coliseum; 892-5202 Part of Summer Swing Series Sun Aug 30: Love Dogs at Skipper's Smokehouse; 971-0666 Sat Sep 12: WMNF Birthday Bash at Coliseum with Swingin' Mooks Sat Sep 19: Candye Cane at Skipper's Smokehouse; 971-0666 Sat Sep 26: Abe Guard with "Music of Your Life" Orchestra at Coliseum 892-5202; Part of Summer Swing Series ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LOVE DOGS The Love Dogs, an excellent swing band from Boston, will be playing next Friday at a private party that we've been invited to help with. It's the closing bash for a Parks & Rec conference that our friend, "cajun" Dave Borisenko, is organizing. In order to get things rolling, Dave has invited us to plant a few people there who know how to swing and who'll be willing to dance hard, help teach a little, and get some of the conference attendees dancing as well. Dave knows how to throw a party. In addition to the band, there'll be lots of free food catered by Skipper's, fireworks, etc. It's going to be at the Fantasy of Flight park in Dade City, halfway along I-4 between Tampa Bay and Orlando. They'll even have the museum part open for walkthroughs. So here's the deal: If you're a good swing dancer, can show up by 7pm on Friday (August 28) to have some food and help teach a quick lesson, are willing to dance a lot including some with beginners, and would like to go, e-mail Sam at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX by this Friday (8/21). Include your name(s) and phone number. The number of tickets we have is limited and we're trying to keep the number of men and women in our group evenly balanced. Someone will then contact you to let you know if you got a ticket and, if so, with details, including riding out there together. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ORLANDO REVIEW A couple of weekends ago, many of us Tampa Bay people road-tripped over to Orlando for the mother of all swing events at Pleasure Island. Both Friday and Saturday, the West End Stage featured Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (BBVD), the California band from the movie "Swingers". Dem Brooklyn Bums swang on the waterfront, while Swingerhead played in the Jazz Company. Swing has now apparently fully mainstreamed itself, as BBVD proudly announced, every chance they got, that their third album has gone gold. The crowd at the West End stage was huge for all four BBVD concerts -- most of the crowd were concert-goers rather than dancers. The dancers had a tough time finding space, but managed wherever they could. In the middle of the crowd, the Orlando swingers cut their dance circle, and on Saturday, the Tampa crowd made their own space in front of the stage. The waterfront stage was much friendlier toward the dancers, with Dem Brooklyn Bums, the bad boys of swing, singing of baseball-bat violence and other icons of Brooklyn culture. The Bums played 5 sets a night, all very good dance numbers, and drew a crowd of their own when the main stage let out. The Jazz Company with Swingerhead attracted more of a drink-and-eat crowd, but some tables were finally moved away from the stage for a makeshift dance floor, albeit still with carpeting. It was a good place for catching a drink whenever the other bands were on break or had finished for the evening. The highlight of the weekend -- I'm sure my partner would agree -- had to be Friday night's rain, and getting drenched by rain as well as sweat. Sam ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MONTANA Sally writes: I'm so glad to see swing becoming so popular - I grew up on big band jazz in my home in CA. I now live in Montana and am hoping that the swing movement will hit here sometime in the next millenium!! I am in a university town that has a lot of great jazz musicians ... any suggestions on how to get things going? I know a lot of people who are interested in learning and dancing swing, but we have no outlet! :( If anyone out there has gotten swing going in their smaller, not so hep communities, could you please let me know how you went about doing it? Thanks - I hope to hear from you soon! P.S. Finally saw the movie "Swingers" - awesome!! I'm now recommending it to everyone I know that hasn't seen it!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LESSONS AND WORKSHOPS Tue at 7:00pm: Abdul Mohammed, Beginning/Intermediate, North Tampa, Rhapsody Ballroom, 12101 N 56th St (just N. of Fowler), $5, 985-6570. Beginners at 7:00; Intermediate at 8:00. Wed at 7:00pm: James & Arleene Norman, Beginning, St Pete, Right Step Dance Studio, 2319 9th St N, St Petersburg, $30 for 4 classes, Phone 821-9420 or e-mail XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . This series of 4 lessons starts August 26. Class will be closed after first day (no drop-ins). 1 hour. Wed at 7:30pm: Mario Drobny & Paul Swaine, Beginning/Intermediate, Pinellas Park, Bayou Dance Club, 9101 Belcher Road, $60 for 6 classes, paid in advance. Phone (727)548-6511 or e-mail XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . This series of 6 lessons starts Sep 16. 45 minutes. Thu at 7:00pm: James & Arleene Norman, Beginning. This series of 4 lessons starts Aug 20. Other details same as above. Thu at 8:00pm: James & Arleene Norman, Beginning Lindy Hop, This series of 4 lessons starts Aug 20. Prerequisite: some prior partner-dancing experience; music training is also helpful. Other details same as above. Thu at 8:00pm: Connie Gee, Beginning/Intermed, Ybor City, Sugar Palm, Corner of Palm Ave & 15th St, $8, 248-5549. 1 hour. Fri at 8:00pm: Connie Gee, Beginning/Intermed, Ybor City, Sugar Palm, Corner of Palm Ave & 15th St, $5, 248-5549. 1 hour. Sat at 11:00am: Lee Holton, Beginning, Tampa, Swing City Studio, 7532 N Armenia Ave (between Waters & Sligh), $7 or $25 for first 4 classes, $18 for 4 classes thereafter. Phone 935-7458 or e-mail XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. 1 hour. Sat at Noon: Lee Holton, Beginning Lindy Hop, Tampa, Swing City Studio. Other details same as above. Sat at Noon: Mario Drobny & Paul Swaine, Advanced (ages 14 and up), Pinellas Park, Bayou Dance Club, 9101 Belcher Road, $60 for 6 classes, paid in advance. Phone (727)548-6511 or e-mail XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . This series of 6 lessons starts Aug 29. 1 hour. Sun, Sep 13th: Frank Ingo, Beginners 6:45-7:30pm, Intermediate/Advanced 7:30-9:30pm, South Tampa, 3601 S. Manhatten, $8 or $25 for 4 lessons, 835-5804. Beginners can practice or watch after their class; advanced dancers can practice at 6:45. Sun, Aug 30th: James and Arleene Norman, Beginning Lindy Hop, 1-5pm, Limited to six leaders and six followers. Prepayment required with registration, $35. Also Sep 27. Studio and contact info same as above. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Swing News Submissions are not only welcome, but required to keep this newsletter going. Send them to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . The deadline for each Tuesday issue is Sunday at 2pm. Editors reserve the right to edit submissions or to select based on relevance. Be sure to call and confirm events before going! The SWINGANG is a network of swing dancers and other swingsters, committed to promoting swing events in places with large, smoke-free or open-air dance areas; to encouraging great music & instruction; to building a united swing community; and to publishing this newsletter! E-mail XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . Send addition/deletion/address-change requests to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . **********************************************************************