Boston Swing Central

Phil McGowan & the Easy Winners

mike — Sat, 12 May 2012 04:03:45 +0000

Phil McGowan is back with his awesome Quintet (which has grown to a sextet), and they finally have a band name! The Easy Winners, named after a Scott Joplin rag…you can hear it here:

Incidentally, this was recorded in 1901 (same year as our Steinway upright piano was born) on piano roll, which was for playback on a player piano. While it wasn’t Scott Joplin’s actual sound being recorded, this early recording technology was documenting his actual playing of the notes. So playing this back recorded his sense of timing, expressiveness as much as the technology could support at the time.

We’re excited to welcome the Easy Winners back to the Whistle Stop, they’ve been an evolving work, and really started to come together as a band with the addition of Brendan Cooney on stride piano. And this time, they’ll debut virtuoso trumpet player, Trent Austin. Phil says, he sings, plays trumpet and will knock us out with his energy…just what we like to hear! Check ‘em out:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gordon Webster Band CD Pre-Release Party - Dress to Impress!

mike — Sat, 05 May 2012 06:59:41 +0000

Gordon Webster is back and this is his Boston CD pre-release party for his Live in Rochester album which he recorded last Fall and will be out officially out the following weekend. So, what I think Gordon means by pre-release party is that he’ll have some of these CDs and we’ll get to have them before the rest of the world…but we’re not clear and the guy is so hard to get a hold of these days, he’s in Spain one day and the next he’s in Australia…! That shows you just how in demand he is. Everywhere Gordon goes there’s a big event sure to follow. Tonight is no exception. Along with the CD Pre-Release Party…we’d like you to dress to impress!

Here’s a video of the last time Gordon was here with Meschiya Lake:

And of course, there are some more videos on our YouTube Channel, just follow the links…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Recessionals (from Brooklyn)

mike — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 06:59:05 +0000

These last few years of living in a down economy haven’t been fun for a majority of Americans, and perhaps that’s where the Recessionals derive their name. But don’t let the name fool you…this is a fun band for fun times. Check out a video of one of their songs here:

The Recessionals are the latest band from Brooklyn to grace our stage. A high energy trad jazz outfit that will get you up and dancing all night long. We’re very excited they could make the trek up to Boston to play for us.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Boot Camp with Seth & Jasmine

mike — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:59:56 +0000

Want to learn Lindy Hop?

Maybe you’ve wanted to go further than our Friday night introductory lesson, but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class? This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop for 3 hours on Sunday April 22nd, 12:30pm-3:30pm Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

We will cover six count basic (East Coast Swing), basic eight count (Lindy Hop), and Charleston Basic. Moves include swing out, Lindy circle, swing out from closed, and side by side Charleston. At the end of this class, you will be able to attend a social dance and dance to music.

Instructors Seth & Jasmine have been teaching at Boot Camp on a semi-regular basis. Seth Burgess has been teaching Lindy Hop in Boston and lighting up the BSC dance floor with his gold sneakers and razzamatazz for years! (He’s also really funny.)

12:30 - 3:30 PM
$25 advanced on-line registration, $30 at the door (register here.)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Boot Camp Part Deux with Shawn & Sachiko

mike — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:30:23 +0000

Some of you may taken our Boot Camp over the last several months have asked us, “When is Swing Boot Camp 2?” Well, this is your chance to get some more razzamatazz from Shawn (Potter) & Sachiko. In a nod to Hot Shots Part Deux, we’ve got Swing Boot Camp Part Deux…yes, you too can be a hot shot on the dance floor…Saturday April 21st, 12:30pm-3:30pm.

We will review the Lindy Hop basics, go more in depth and give you some other turn variations, delve more into the “connection”, Texas Tommy and Charleston. And as always, Shawn & Sachiko will bring their boundless enthusiasm, super revved up energy to class. Class size is limited to around 24 so that the instructors can give each student one-on-one attention.

Instructors Shawn & Sachiko are founders and senior instructors at iSwingTokyo. Shawn was very instrumental in helping build up swing dancing in Tokyo. He has since moved back home to Massachusetts and has been teaching quite regularly for Boston Swing Central. He brings a unique, fun and fresh perspective to the Lindy Hop. Everyone that takes his classes leaves with a smile on their face. Sachiko has also recently relocated from Japan and we’re lucky to have her teaching with Shawn as they are a great team!

12:30 - 3:30 PM
$25 advanced on-line registration, $30 at the door (register here.)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Shawn Hershey Quintet

mike — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 06:59:00 +0000

Spring is in the air, baseball season is underway and we’re happy to welcome Shawn Hershey back to the Whistle Stop stage. Of course, Shawn is here every week, teaching for New School Swing…but tonight, he gets to play his trumpet. And he’s bringing some fellow dancer/musicians…

Jan Marie a vocalist extraordinaire who is sure to dazzle and mesmerize. And Mike Valdez, crackerjack piano player who helped us find our 1901 Steinway piano.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Legacy

mike — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:59:52 +0000

Swing Legacy, a six piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991, playing with the style and informed of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hop and swing dancing. Much of their great catalog of songs showcases their phenomenal singer, Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of exciting original arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Here’s a short story as told to us by their larger-than-life saxophone player, Ted Casher

(on right) Ted Casher

“I was gigging with Bo Winiker Orchestra at the Faneuil Hall Rotunda for a Wellesley College 10-year class reunion. Bo said that we could play anything we wanted, only as soft as possible! We were playing bebop tunes, the ladies were reuniting, when I noticed a tall, good-looking man listening intently, standing up against the wall. At the end of the set, he came up to me and asked, “Is that the new Dukoff mouthpiece? I’ve heard about it. Sounds good!”

We talked on—he was knowledgeable about reeds and mouthpieces, and I asked “Are you playing now? He answered, “Not much these days. I’m the Governor of Arkansas, and I don’t have time to practice.”

I then asked, “Wanna play?” He said, “Sure!”, and so I grabbed Bo and said “I’ve got a tenor player who wants to sit in—he’s the Governor of Arkansas.” Bo said “Sure”, and so I gave William Jefferson Clinton a spare strap and my tenor sax. I grabbed my alto, and we all played.

We played some blues, followed by “Perdido”, then “Take the A-Train.” You could tell that Bill had spent time with the instrument — he knew such minutae as the out-choruses to “Perdido” and “A-Train”. He also soloed well — didn’t make any blatant errors!

The alumnae were beginning to come up to the bandstand to watch him play, and after the set was over, a lady with brown wavy hair and big hexagonal glasses came up and said to him “You sounded great, Dear!” It was Hillary Rodham Clinton!

The next time I saw Bill Clinton, I was playing a fundraiser for him at the Parker House. And the next time, I was in DC with the Winiker Orchestra, playing lead alto at his Inauguration!”

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beantown Swing Orchestra - BSC 4th Anniversary Vintage Dress Up Party

mike — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:59:03 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy to share our 4th Anniversary with everyone. It’s hard to believe that only 4 years ago, we were launching this amazing journey at St Mary Orthodox Church in Central Square, Cambridge. Several venues and years later, hundreds of dances, dozens of bands, thousands of dancers and a piano later and here we are! Swinging on top of the world every Friday night at the Crosby Whistle Stop.

Well, since Beantown Swing Orchestra helped us launch our very first dance, we thought we’d invite them back to help us recapture that feeling we had 4 years ago. We’re also making this a Vintage Dress Up night, so break out those awesome threads and let’s party like it’s 2008! Or more like 1949!

Here are their American Idols’ Jen Hirsch and John Stevens starring in a cute video for the song (it also stars the Green line)…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Bria Skonberg’s Hot Five

mike — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 06:59:32 +0000

Bria Skonberg brings her amazing Hot Five back to Boston Swing Central. And after the last time, we can safely say, this is a band that you never want to miss. They are hot jazz that will have you lindy hopping on air! The band tore it up, and we can’t wait for more!

Bria has spent a lot of time playing with Baby Soda, Glenn Cryzter’s Syncopators, and the Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. An accomplished trumpet player, she’s also an excellent singer, and a A-One band leader…we’re so glad she can assemble this kind of talent and bring her Hot Five back to BSC!

Check out her jaunty and jubilant playing in this video:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn

mike — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 06:59:18 +0000

The Blue Vipers are back! They’ve played for us a couple of times before, and we’re hoping they send March out like a Lion (well, figuratively speaking in this non-Winter sorta Winter). Their unique brand of hot jazz which features some virtuosic washboard, pots and pans playing and their ready to tear it up this Friday night. You might need to bring a towel and an extra shirt…because it’s going to be an evening on the up tempo side of things. So for those of you who crave speed…this might be your night. The rest of us will wait for their singer to croon a blue moon betwixt all the crazy jitterbuggin’ numbers…

The band often busks on the street in New York, and there are plenty of videos of them on YouTube swinging in Central Park, but here we find them at the Long Beach Public Library:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

White Heat Swing Sextet

mike — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:59:48 +0000

Craig Ball brings his White Heat Swing Sextet to the Crosby Whistle Stop. This smaller combo is a subset of the White Heat Swing Orchestra which will feature a stride piano player who Craig tells us he wasn’t able to bring to our venue before because the stride player needs a real piano to play. And now that we have our excellent 1901 Steinway Upright, we’re able to have him come and tear it up for us.

Here’s stride player Willie “The Lion” Smith tearing it up…(he really hits his, ahem, stride about 1:30).

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Joint is Jumping with our DJs!

mike — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:59:20 +0000

The Joint is Jumping! If Fats Waller could only sit at our 1901 Steinway like this…

Where is that Flux Capacitor when you need it? …but we’re actually really happy living in this period of time and having such a great dance space as the Crosby Whistle Stop and such a fun crowd of dancers to fill it every Friday night. And when someone like Gordon Webster sits behind our piano, well, he is our Fats Waller! Or maybe he’s our Count Basie (since he doesn’t sing), but anyhow you get the idea.

The talent that has graced the corner of our hall has been nothing less than astounding, we’re really in the midst of an exciting new jazz and swing renaissance. We hope you’re enjoying every minute of it! Boston Swing Central has managed to showcase the best swing bands in the region, if not the country and with a frequency that makes us one of the marquee dance scenes in the country. We look forward to every Friday night with anticipation…and we just wanted to take a moment to contemplate how lucky we are…

This Friday, we’ll be turning over the music to our fine DJs who will comb through their CDs and mp3s for the finest music from roughly 80 years of swing music! The joint will be jumping!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan Quintet

mike — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:59:36 +0000

It’s already March, and this Winter has been more lamb than lion. But how will March greet us…either way, we know we’ll be dancing and having a grand ole time at the Crosby Whistle Stop!

Phil McGowan is back with his quintet. A band of hot players assembled by a sometimes drummer for Baby Soda, Gordon Webster & Beantown Swing Orchestra.

Phil’s quintet is centered around his electrifying drumming and some hot guitar playing…this is a concept he has slowly been evolving at the Crosby Whistle Stop. His endless enthusiasm for the music is infectious and translates into a band that you won’t want to miss!

And now for a musicology lesson:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Toni Lynn Washington Band

mike — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 06:59:44 +0000

Boston Swing Central welcomes back, local Diva extraordinaire, Toni Lynn Washington. Toni Lynn rocked the the Crosby Whistle Stop on several occasions last year. This is her first time in 2012 and we are looking forward to her hearing her soulful voice and her deep grooves this Friday. She is a local legend, an institution, a master, a treasure, and we’re happy to have her once again! Not to be missed!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Keep Punching with DJs Alex Abdoulaev & Isaac Marx

mike — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 06:59:28 +0000

Some of you might be scratchin’ your heads as to why we’ve called this night the perplexing title of “Keep Punching”, but those in the know will recognize this as the title of the 1939 Boxing movie featuring Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers were a dance troupe from Harlem which starred Frankie Manning, Norma Miller and many others. And we keep mentioning Frankie because he was an inspiration to many of us and we have to let you all know about him. So you’ll keep seeing us championing him. In the movie Keep Punching Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers perform the Big Apple in the version that is often taught and performed today, so this is indeed a very important movie in the swing dancing world. You can see the clip here:

Tonight, DJs Alex Abdoulaev & Isaac Marx will be sharing the spotlight and spinning the tunes. There unique styles compliment each other quite well and are guaranteed to keep you moving and grooving on the dance floor, and perhaps if there’s enough people who know the Big Apple, there will be an impromptu performance! There are also some copacetic aerials in this scene (please no aerials on the social dance floor)…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Valentine’s Day Ball: I >heart< Swing!with the Red Hook Ramblers

mike — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:59:02 +0000

Boston Swing Central is very excited for one of our most beloved dances of the year! I >heart< Swing (our Valentine’s Day Ball), featuring our super-groovy custom-made Valentines, and our Cupids to deliver them to you! And as our musical guests, this year we have the Red Hook Ramblers from Brooklyn. This night will be guaranteed to be in our memories for a long time, so dress to impress and put on some red and pink and get ready to send your friends and secret dance crushes some Valentines…

If you missed the Red Hook Ramblers last Fall, they were one of the best bands we discovered last year, they completely tore the house down! Their exciting Hot Jazz can be heard right here Just listen to what will surely make you dance around the room in preparation for a fun night ahead!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Grand Street Stompers featuring Tamar Korn

mike — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:59:57 +0000

The Grand Street Stompers are yet another band from the Brooklyn Jazz Renaissance scene. Led by the Jazz encyclopedia: Gordon Au on trumpet, who was just here for New Year’s playing with Baby Soda. He also frequently moonlights along side Gordon Webster. Speaking of moons, it’s one of the favorite topics of singing pixie/chanteuse Tamar Korn. To hear her sing is just heartbreakingly staggering…

Anyhow, so they’re veterans of the Brooklyn to BSC underground train. We smuggle them up here, they play for us and we send them back in the middle of the night… Last Fall the Grand Street Stompers came up during Columbus Day weekend and it appeared that a lot of folks were gone…leaf peeping or something…so they got a little lost in the shuffle.

And once again this February, they’re sandwiched in between two huge dances, but don’t let that stop you from coming out to BSC three weeks in a row…you don’t want to miss any of these dances!!! (and why not? it’s cheaper than a trip to the Bahamas and will probably leave you feeling just as warm and sunny)

Check out The Grand Street Stompers website here.

Or watch Tamar sing with them here…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gordon Webster Showcase introduces Meschiya Lake

mike — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:59:00 +0000

There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold…

Gordon Webster returns to Boston Swing Central for the first time since the Dirty Water Lindy Exchange and this time he’s bringing with him a very very special guest…New Orleans street performer, Loose Marble and chanteuse extraordinaire: Meschiya Lake.

Meschiya is a force of nature, one of those rare performers that you don’t want to miss…and combined with a night of Gordon Webster…well, you really don’t want to miss this! We’re flying Meschiya in from New Orleans…Gordon has assembled a cracker jack band especially for this performance to really showcase Ms. Lake’s talents! We’re so excited we can hardly contain ourselves, shout it from the rooftops and invite all your out-of-town friends….we’re barely a month into 2012 and we’re already delivering you one of the top events of this year…yay! Go BSC! Early interest in this night indicates we’re headed for a sell-out crowd, cmon out early!!

Check out what NPR had to say about Meschiya here.

Meschiya and the Loose Marbles take it to the streets of New Orleans:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 1:30am
Special Event Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Please note: No Coupons accepted for this event. Also passes can be redeemed at 2-for-1 admission for this event.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Boot Camp

mike — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:00:02 +0000

Got a New Year’s resolution to learn Lindy Hop?

Or maybe you’ve wanted to learn to swing dance but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class? This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop for 3 hours on Sunday January 22nd, 1pm-3:30pm Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

Instructors Mike & Julie have been teaching Boot Camp on a regular basis as well as teaching occasionally on Friday nights and making sure all things BSC continue to rock!

1:00 - 3:30 PM
$25 advanced on-line registration, $30 at the door (register here.)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Odessa Rose in Enter the Dragon

mike — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:59:14 +0000

Enter the Dragon!

It’s time to ring in the Chinese New Year this Friday at Boston Swing Central, Texas-style with Odessa Rose…a Western Swing band. And it’s the Year of the Dragon that we’re ushering in! All that Tebowing must’ve worked because our order of custom BSC Fortune Cookies has arrived! Get excited and come and get them this Friday…fortune cookies with swing dancing fortunes inside!

And just in case you don’t know what this Western Swing stuff is, don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with West Coast Swing…it is the Texas interpretation of what Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Like good BBQ, you’ll want to dip your fingers in it, er your toes, and use a ladle to get every drop…

Basically, cats like Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys felt that if the Duke and the Count could swing, so could they. Except they had pedal steel guitars instead of large horn sections. And they played hot jazz country-fried, and country songs hot jazz style and yee-haw, Western Swing as a genre of music was born! Lucky us!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade + Special Bring a Friend Promotion

julie — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 06:59:44 +0000

So it’s Monday morning, and you’re standing at the coffee machine talking to your work buddy. “What did you do for New Year’s?” You went swing dancing!!! You’re so excited, and you want your friends to come too! But inevitably, no matter how many times you ask them, something always come up…I’ve got this date with a guy I met on OkCupid. He’s got his head buried in his iPhone, but his picture looks cute…I’ve got to catch up on Glee!…. I’m too tired after the work week…… Blah blah blah. Help them fulfill that New Year’s Resolution to do more fun things, to exercise more, to be more social…to swing dance!

We know how hard it is to get your friends on the dance floor – we’ve all been there. And for those of you that can weed through all of those excuses and get someone new to our dance, you’re finally getting rewarded! Help your friends make that New Year’s resolution come true!

For this night and for this night only, if you bring a friend that has NEVER been to our dance, you (the hard working, dedicated, good looking, suave dancer) get in FREE!

And not only do we have a special promotion, but we’ve got Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade straight outta Brooklyn. Miss Tess brings her sultry voice and swingin’ guitar to the Whistle Stop. Her catchy repertoire should get your friends toe-tapping and wanting to dance! What could be a better experience to start folks off right (on the right foot..tee hee) in their dancing careers? Start working on you friends NOW!

Promotion Qualifying Details:

1) In order to get free admission when bringing a friend, you (the dancer) needs to have attended at least one BSC Dance prior to January 13, 2012. Your friend must have NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN ONCE been to a BSC dance. How will we know? Oh, we’ll know!

2) You must get there with your friend BEFORE 8:10PM so they can take our beginning lesson that starts at 8PM. We will be strict about this!

3) If you bring a friend and you have also NEVER been to our dance, you DO NOT qualify for the discount. (Hey these are our rules and it’s not two new people for the price of one.)

4) The person must be your friend and of the homo sapiens species. Imaginary friends, Lassie, ET, pet rocks, etc. do not qualify.

5) You must mention this promotion at the door when paying admission to receive it. You can’t come back later and ask for it if you forget (if ya snooze, ya lose).

6) Who gets in free? Well that’s up to you…and how good of a friend you are. Show up with a friend and only one admission has to be paid (buy one, get one free). How you settle up is at your discretion, but please resolve any disputes by peaceful means (i.e. thumb wrestling, drawing straws, and dance offs).

7) May not be combined with any other promotions or discounts(i.e. get in free or half off coupons/passes, discounts received for angeling or DJ’ing, etc. Board Members do not qualify.)

8) If you get caught gaming the system, you may be subject to the consequences thought up on the spot by BSC staff. May include but are not limited to the following activities with your new “friend”: wearing matching ski sweaters throughout the entire dance, doing a Charleston duet to “You Can’t Touch This” to be posted on YouTube, dancing in your bare feet.

New people coming by yourselves or with other people are still of course welcome! And what a great night to come out with lots of other new people. We’re sorry you won’t qualify this time, but if we run this again in the coming months, and you attend our event this Friday, you will qualify for next time!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Shawn Hershey Quintet

jasmine — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:59:48 +0000

It’s January, and hopefully you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to dance more! Yes, that’s the ticket! Dance more=be more happy, right? So it’s now time to hunker down and get some great dancing in and reconnect with all our friends.

Our 2012 schedule starts off with a local favorite: Shawn Hershey Quintet. With the heart of a true Lindy Hopper, Shawn knows what kind of swing music that we really like. So get excited.

This night kick things off for what promises to be another GREAT year at the Crosby Whistle Stop. 2012 will bring us Meschiya Lake with Gordon Webster, the Red Hook Ramblers at our Valentine’s Day Dance, our 2nd Dirty Water Lindy Exchange, the Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, Calling All Zombies 5…and so many other great moments to look forward to!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala

mike — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:59:15 +0000

Boston Swing Central is hosting a New Year’s Eve Gala in the style of the famous Great Gatsby. For those of you fretting over New Years plans, worry no more!

What is the New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala?…a swing dance party harking back to the roaring 20s! Vintage black tie dress-up encouraged (but not required)…Charleston and Black Bottom were the dances of the day…Our vintage Paper Moon photo booth and a midnight toast (non-alcoholic – true to the prohibition era)…and to top it all off, we’ll have one of our very favorite bands, Baby Soda to help us ring in the New Year!

Make a New Year’s resolution this year to dance more!

TICKETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE. BUT COME JOIN US AND PURCHASE YOUR TICKET AT THE DOOR!
At the door (New Years Eve Night) the price will be $30.
(please note this is a Special Event, passes will be accepted, but tonight it takes 2 passes to get in.)

Boston Swing Central at the Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129
Admission: See Above
Time: 8-9pm lesson, General dancing from 9pm to at least 12:30am.

CLOSED - Have a Swingin’ Christmas!

mike — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:59:35 +0000

We’ll hopefully see you sometime real soon, if not on New Year’s Eve!

DJ Holiday Party !!!

mike — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 06:59:30 +0000

Merry Merry Christmas, Happy Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever you might celebrate. Tonight DJs Amy Kucharik and Ogden Sawyer aim to give you their best Holiday Swing tunes and general good cheer. As the mercury falls, so falls the snow…and we’ll need some swing dancing to keep our popsicle toes warmed. This will also help us dance off all of the extra holiday treats and meals we plan on consuming…

Also this Friday, Bobby’s of Boston, one of our favorite vintage clothing stores will bring their store to Boston Swing Central. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! They’ll be setting up shop, so you can get some vintage duds just in time for our New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala (don’t forget to get your ticket now)….(or for some other night out at Boston Swing Central), so bring some extra cash…we’ll also have a makeshift dressing room set up so you can try stuff on.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Holiday Class Series: Spins, Balance and Body Awareness Class!

mike — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:59:47 +0000

Have you ever wondered why you’re so dizzy after doing a bunch of swing outs? Or perhaps you’re a little wobbly when you do a turn. This class will give us some techniques and exercises to make us more comfortable and aware of ourselves which will give us more confidence on the dance floor. Natalya’s techniques for balancing and turning apply to all of the partner dances we do at Boston Swing Central, such as the Lindy Hop, Blues and Balboa. All levels are welcome, no experience is required.

Natalya brings here considerable talent as an amazing Lindy Hopper and Ballet dancer to help us get in tune with our centers, become more balanced, and poised. She enjoys teaching locally and is known for her sense of balance, beautiful lines, and friendly personality.

Lesson : 8:30pm - 9:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Holiday Class Series: Tandem Charleston

mike — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:59:16 +0000

You might have seen folks doing Charleston at a dance, likely they are doing side-by-side Charleston. Perhaps you know how to do this already and use the effervescent Charleston as part of your dance. But do you know Tandem Charleston? This is the crowd pleasing Charleston where the follower is in front and the leader is in the back chugging like a choo-choo train.

Brian and Kellian will be teaching us how to get into and out of Tandem Charleston. And once we’re in Tandem Charleston, they’ll show us some of their favorite moves that you can do while remaining in the Tandem Charleston mode (if you will). We recommend this for intermediate dancers and above.

Brian and Kellian Pletcher are some of our favorite teachers at Boston Swing Central. They bring their considerable talents and energy to our dance scene as organizers of the Lindy Bomb Squad which frequently performs in random public places.

Lesson : 7:30pm - 8:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Piano Key Drive

mike — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:26:57 +0000

Help us tune up our newly donated piano. Donate by buying a white key for $10 or a black key for $25 (there are fewer black keys making them a rarer commodity.) A little help goes a long way and you can take a 2011 tax deduction now! Donate here.

Black Key:

White Key:

Holiday Class Series: Boot Camp CLASS FULL

mike — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:59:07 +0000

Ever want to learn to swing dance but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class? This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop for 3 hours on Sunday December 11th, 1pm-4pm Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

Shawn Potter has recently returned to the states from Tokyo, where he ran iSwingTokyo. Shawn has made a name for himself world-wide with his passion and dedication to Lindy Hop as a “lead and follow dance.” He uses his extensive knowledge of body movement, body mechanics and connection to teach and inspire people to dance and become better at Lindy Hop. Shawn’s teaching focuses on the fundamentals of Lead and Follow using rhythm and natural body movement as the basis of the dance. Shawn’s style has been described as playful, solid, clear and musical. His dancing and philosophy have won the respect of many of the top dancers and instructors in the USA, Canada, Europe and Asia.

1:00 - 3:45 PM
CLASS IS FULL, Next Boot Camp is Jan 22nd!

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Holiday CD Release Party: Beantown Swing Orchestra

mike — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 06:59:07 +0000

Frank Shieh and the Beantown Swing Orchestra are back and they’re in a gift giving mood… Tonight Frank and all 17 of his elves in the BSO are filling up their sleigh and our stage with a boatload of Holiday music…on Dasher, on Dancers…on Vixens!

Get ready for the Beantown Swing Orchestra’s

Beantown Christmas

CD release party! Check it out here. Amy Kucharick did the artwork of them in a flying trolley over the Boston skyline…pretty nifty. Laura Brunner and John Stevens will be taking turns singing….So come celebrate the Holidays and swingout with good cheer!

We also have a very special performance choreographed by Megan Damon.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Holiday Class Series: Shim Sham

mike — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:59:26 +0000

Originally a dance entitled “Goofus”, the Shim Sham appeared in 1927 and was choreographed by Leonard Reed. Beloved, Founding Father of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning had his own variation on this line dance which has since become sort of the defacto National Anthem of Swing Dancers (poetically speaking of course). And when dancers hear Jimmy Lunceford’s “T’aint What You Do (It’s the Way That Cha Do It)”, they rush to the front of the room and begin clapping and stomping.

You might’ve witnessed this at a dance or maybe you’ve never seen it before. An exhilarating and ebullient dance, the Shim Sham is fairly easy choreography to learn, so we recommend this for all levels, no experience or partner is required.

Abby is a board member of the BSC has been dancing regularly for 4 years, but has had a love for dancing and jazz since she was a child. She recently taught Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance at Calling All Zombies, our Halloween dance, and is a very enthusiastic and dynamic teacher.

Lesson : 8:30pm - 9:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Holiday Class Series: Beginning Swing Crash Course

mike — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:59:23 +0000

Have an upcoming Holiday, New Year’s, or other special engagement coming up this winter? Or just want to check out of swing dancing? Well, the Holiday Swing crash course is just for you! We promise you’ll be leaving with enough skills to impress your friends (that only know how to wave their arms back and forth) on the dance floor. And to keep it fun and festive, we will only be playing holiday classics throughout the class so you’ll get lots of practice. We will be covering basic six count swing moves, Basic Charleston, and how the two work together. At the end of the class, you’ll be able to dance swing to your favorite classic holiday tunes! This class is for the beginner. No partner or prior experience required!

Mike Hibarger and Julie Irish are board members of Boston Swing Central. They are regular social dancers in the Boston scene, love to host kick-ass dances with amazing bands, and enjoy teaching locally – especially to beginners! They take pride in making sure moves are broken down, questions are answered, and people have a good time in their classes.

Lesson : 7:00pm - 8:30pm
$10 advanced registration via website, $12 at the door (register here.)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Bria Skonberg’s Hot Five

mike — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 06:59:13 +0000

We are so excited by the energy our dance has had this Fall. We look forward to every Friday night! And after eating our turkey, we’re ready to dance!

This is Bria Skonberg’s first Boston Swing Central appearance. And guess where she hails from? That’s right, she’s another resident of Brooklyn! So it will be no great surprise when her Hot Five band tears our playhouse down this Friday. She has spent a lot of time playing with Baby Soda, Glenn Cryzter’s Syncopators, and the Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. An accomplished trumpet player, she’s also an excellent singer as well.

Check out her jaunty and jubilant playing in this video:

Also tonight, we’ll welcome the New School Swing Performance team who have been working for the last month on a fresh new routine for us. So make sure you make it out early enough to cheer them on!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Thanksgiving Swing!

mike — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 06:59:45 +0000

Yes, it’s that time of year when thoughts of turkey appear in our heads and a lot of it ends up in our tummies. Tonight we’re going to dance off the previous nights yams and pies (or at least try to). What better way to burn off all those added calories than taking a spin on the dance floor? So if you happen to be in town, come on out and share some camaraderie with those of us who aren’t travelling on this hectic holiday weekend.

Lesson (included in the price of admission):
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Blue Vipers of Brooklyn

mike — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:59:50 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re happy to have the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn play the Crosby Whistle Stop again! They’ve played for us once before, and we’re very excited to have them back. Their unique brand of hot jazz which features some virtuosic washboard, pots and pans playing and their ready to tear it up this Friday night. You might need to bring a towel and an extra shirt…because it’s going to be an evening on the up tempo side of things. So for those of you who crave speed…this might be your night. The rest of us will wait for their singer to croon a blue moon betwixt all the crazy jitterbuggin’ numbers…

The band often busks on the street in New York, you can see their dedication despite the cold weather they’re out there swingin’ in Times Square, sans the pots and pans:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

USO Night with The White Heat Swing Orchestra

mike — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:59:24 +0000

Friday, November 11th is Veteran’s Day and we’d like to say a big Thank You to our Vets (and active service men and women) by throwing a special USO style* swing dance, like they did back during WWII. Though we have no political agenda here at BSC, it seems appropriate to show our respect to those who serve and protect so the rest of us can keep on swingin!

The USO is a private organization that has provided morale and recreational services since 1941. Their first priority has always been supporting America’s troops. USO centers and clubs opened around the world as a “Home Away from Home” for GI’s, and was a place to go for dances and social events.

In the 1940’s big bands were the cat’s pajamas. For this event we’ve got one of Boston’s Best Big Bands, the White Heat Swing Orchestra. They’ll be playing all the classic Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie hits of the 30’s and 40’s. So get dolled up like it’s 1941 and help us say thanks to our military brothers and sisters. White Heat float up and down at the Boston Harbor Hotel and swing hard to Lindy Hop classic: “Digi Digi Doo”!

Servicemen and women who show up in their Dress Uniforms get in for FREE!
Veterans of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and Desert Storm get in for FREE!
All other veterans and active military (as well as police and fire) personnel get in for $5 off!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

*Please note that Boston Swing Central is not associated with the United Service Organization.

Calling All Zombies IV: A Boilermaker Halloween!

mike — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:59:55 +0000

Calling All Zombies*! It’s time to heed the bell toll for another ghastly, ghoulish and grim Halloween party at Boston Swing Central. It’s our 4th year and this time we’re making it a Boilermaker Halloween. What does that mean? Well, you guessed it! We’re being invaded by the Boilermaker Jazz Band from Pittsburgh, PA. So, rise up all you creepy crawlies and pay tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson and dance to the unadulterated swing of one of the hottest swing bands in the country. They’re guaranteed to rattle your bones…and reanimate your zombie hearts…it won’t mean a thing until the zombies start to swing!

The lesson will feature Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance. And since this line-dance has a lot of material to cover, the lesson starts early and begins promptly at 7:30pm! Be there or be comatose! The Thrilller dance will be performed later on in the evening (performing is, of course, optional - we won’t force ya!) So, start boning up on your YouTube now… Don’t miss this party as it will be one of the best of the Fall!

If you are unfamiliar with the Boilermaker Jazz band you can check out their website here…

If you are unfamiliar with the Thriller line-dance, um, you must’ve been born somewhere else, but you can watch last year’s BSC performance here (sorry the video is a little dark, that’s the way it is and this doesn’t start until about 2:33 into this clip):

Extended Lesson Time (included in the price of admission): 7:30pm - 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $22
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Get $2 OFF ADMISSION if you come in costume. But no lame costumes like, “I came as a swing dancer”, or “I came as myself” or putting a couple socks on your shoulder and being “static cling”. Discount is at the discretion of the door staff, so put in some effort!

Please note that we will be accepting passes at the rate of: 1/2 off for one pass, full admission for two passes. And no coupons will be accepted for this evening.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Red Hook Ramblers (from Brooklyn, NY)

mike — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 06:59:40 +0000

Boston Swing Central is very excited for the debut performance of the Red Hook Ramblers from Brooklyn, NY. Yet another great band from the Brooklyn Authentic Jazz Revival scene. And this band is going to be a BSC favorite, we have a sixth sense for these things. New Orleans-style Hot Jazz.

They cut their teeth on Bix Beiderbecke and Sidney Bechet and their repetoire includes a lot of BSC favorites like “Shimmy Like My Sister Kate”, “That’s a Plenty”, but they also have some soon to be new favorites like “Apple Pie” and “I Swear It’s True”. You can check them out here and here.

This band is so authentic, they’ve even recorded to wax cylinder…you can watch the recording session here:

And well, if you don’t know what wax cylinders are, long before there were mp3s, CDs, cassette tapes, 8-track tapes, and even vinyl 12″ records. There were grammaphones and wax cylinders…! So, back, back, back in the day, when your great grandparents or at least your grandparents swung it…!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

A Day at the Races with DJs Isaac Marx & Gina Helfrich

mike — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 06:59:41 +0000

Some of you might know A Day at the Races as a title of an album by the rock band Queen. And indeed it was. In fact, Queen’s most famous song, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was featured on the companion album, A Night at the Opera. What’s this have to do with swing dancing? Well, Queen took their inspiration from 2 Marx Brothers movies of the same titles.

The Marx Brothers dominated comedy in the 1930s and A Day at the Races is one of their best films from the era. It also happens to feature, Frankie Manning and Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers… In this beautifully shot scene where Harpo wanders into a jam session in a shantytown, Ivey Anderson, backed by Duke Ellington & his band gets things started with her version of “All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm” which then kicks into high gear as Frankie Manning and company take over, showcasing a wide variety of common Lindy Hop moves.

Tonight, DJs Isaac Marx & Gina Helfrich will be sharing the spotlight and spinning the tunes. There unique styles compliment each other quite well and are guaranteed to keep you moving and grooving on the dance floor.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Grand Street Stompers

mike — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 06:59:26 +0000

The Grand Street Stompers are yet another great jazz band from Brooklyn. There is definitely something in the water there. We like to refer to this scene of players as the Brooklyn Authentic Jazz Revival scene. Many of the bands share players and this band features some players that have played in Gordon Webster’s band as well as the Cangelosi Cards and Baby Soda.

The Grand Street Stompers are led by bouncey trumpet of Gordon Au and the sultry voice of Tamar Korn (also of Cangelosi Cards). GSS embrace the hot jazz of New Orleans. You can hear some of them here.

Or watch them here… \”SHE\’S A GREAT GREAT GIRL\”: GRAND STREET STOMPERS at RADEGAST (Jan. 27, 2011)

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan Quintet

mike — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 06:59:01 +0000

We at Boston Swing Central hope you were energized by the Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange, we’ll do it all again next year, but in the meantime…we get to continue on with our relentless parade of amazing bands this Fall.

It continues on with the Phil McGowan Quintet. A band of hot players assembled by a sometimes drummer for Baby Soda. This will be Phil’s third appearance at the Whistle Stop this month, as he played with Beantown Swing Orchestra and Baby Soda!

Phil’s concept is centered around his electrifying drumming and some hot guitar playing…this is a concept he has slowly been evolving at the Crosby Whistle Stop. His endless enthusiasm for the music is infectious and translates into a band that you won’t want to miss!

And now for something completely different:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Dirty Water: Shawn Hershey & the Fried Bananas

mike — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 06:59:41 +0000

Those who have nevered tried Fried Bananas are in for a treat! Shawn Hershey has been a local favorite both on the dance floor and from the bandstand. His remarkable Lindy & Blues vocabularly makes him an awesome dancer and an excellent bandleader. He always knows a good groove and puts melody on top of everything which, for a dancer says, “play with me.”

You don’t want to miss our Dirty Water Lindy & Blues finale! It’s going to be such a great weekend of dancing, you won’t want to go back to work on Monday morning!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - Midnight(ish)
General Admission: $15
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Dirty Water: Swingin’ at Piers Park

mike — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:30:15 +0000

Swingin’ at Piers Park. With one of the best views of downtown, this East Boston park is a hidden jewel. We’ve danced here before and it’s really awesome. Since we’re right on the water, and it is the ocean, it can be a little windy and get a little chilly, so bring a jacket, dress in layers…

Piers Park
Sunday September 24th
2:00pm - 4:30pm

Take the Blue Line Subway to the Maverick T Station,
It’s a short walk from there.
East Boston

Dirty Water: The Great Escapade

mike — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:30:02 +0000

The Great Escapade, could just put you in a reality show where you’re the star, is it a farce? Is it an adventure? Is there too much ballyhoo? Can you solve all the puzzles and win the prize? First, you’ll need to check out the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden at 11:30am on Sunday, Sept 25th in order to participate…form alliances, make pacts, set a course, make a strategy…there is more than one way to win, if you’re clever…and the rewards to those who participate are many…Make sure your cell phone batteries are charged and raring to go, because you’ll need it!

Dirty Water: Saturday Blues Cafe Late Night at Springstep w/ Gordon Webster

mike — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 11:30:21 +0000

Saturday Blues Cafe Late Night at Springstep in Medford. Gordon Webster and his band are going to set down the perfect late night groove to cap off an exciting evening of dancing. There will be more special Boston treats as well, so you’ll have plenty of energy to make it until the very end of the evening (and you will not need to go to IHOP or anywhere else to eat in between dances).

Dancing: 1:00am- 4:30am
Admission: $15
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Dr.
Medford, MA

Dirty Water: Gordon Webster Band

mike — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 06:59:42 +0000

Gordon Webster probably needs very little introduction to most of you. He’s been one of most in-demand bandleaders in the swing world for quite a few years, playing everywhere from Sweden, South Korea to Australia and all points in between, including right here in Boston. We are extremely lucky he only lives 4 hours away from us in New York City, so he can easily drive up here several times a year…he and his band consider Boston as their second home base.

For Dirty Water, he’s flying in a special guest to augment his band: from New Orleans, vocalist and sax player, Aurora Nealand. We couldn’t be more excited for the verve she brings to the stage and also how well she integrates into Gordon’s oeuvre.

Tonight is “Dress to Impress”, so break out those fancy gowns & suits…we’re going to have a photo booth set up and we want you to look your best!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $25
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange

mike — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 05:59:09 +0000

What a way to kick off Fall here in Boston with a Lindy & Blues Exchange celebrating our awesome swing & blues scenes…which is, in fact, the sum total of all the people here in Boston that dance, our guests, the bands, the amazing landscape and the city that we’ve put here along the banks of the River Charles! Yes, we love that Dirty Water! As it cuts scenically through our fair city. You won’t want to miss any of these dances! (see the schedule below). There are many ways you can participate!

Tickets will be available individually at the door for each dance (until we reach capacity). The Great Escapade and Piers Park events are free. And the apple picking trip and clam shack field trip you can drive to and participate at the last minute if you have a car…just meet us at Woodman’s of Essex at approximately 12:30pm on Saturday or at Russell Orchards in Ipswich at approximately 2:15pm (it’s hard to say how long it will take us to get served at Woodman’s). So come on out and be apart of this fabulous Fall weekend of dancing and Lindy Love with dancers from 17 states and 2 foreign countries!

Dirty Water: Friday Late Night at Springstep in Medford

mike — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:30:42 +0000

Late Night Party at Springstep in Medford. Don’t despair, you will not go hungry in between Baby Soda and the late night. We’ve got some special Boston treats in store for you! (You will not need to go to IHOP or another 24-hr restaurant for sustenance.)

Dancing: 1:00am- 3:30am
Admission: $12
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Dr.
Medford, MA

Dirty Water: Baby Soda Jazz Band

mike — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:59:16 +0000

Sitting around the breakfast table, we once asked Peter Ford, leader of Baby Soda how they got their name…turns out that someone suggested Baking Soda as they saw a box sitting in the cupboard, and as all great band names are formed, someone else misheard it and said, “what, Baby Soda?” And a legend was born.

Baby Soda Jazz Band are one of the great ones that have graced the stage at the Crosby Whistle Stop. Always eliciting an enthusiastic encore. It’s also one of the BSC staff’s personal favorites, so we were very excited they could be part of Dirty Water. What’s not to love about a virtuosic one-string bass, Dixieland banjo and interlocking zig-zagging jazz horns?

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $20
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Dirty Water: Swing & Soul Kickoff Party

mike — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 06:59:27 +0000

Swing & Soul Party lead by the awesome DJ, Downtown Julie Brown! And featuring a special Blues lesson on “playing with the music” from Devona Cartier & visiting instructor Dan Repsch. Dan will also DJ a set for us.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - Midnight(ish)
General Admission: $10
Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade

mike — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 06:59:36 +0000

Last May, BSC had Miss Tess & the Bon Ton Parade play the Crosby Whistle Stop and they were fantastic! What a high energy evening of New Orleans inspired, rockabilly inflected, swingin’ jazz! We’re really looking forward to this return! Here’s a video of her all dressed up with the Bon Ton Parade…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - Midnight(ish)
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beantown Swing Orchestra

mike — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 06:59:55 +0000

Boston Swing Central is excited for Fall, the cooler weather and the return of lots of bands makes the dancing a little more comfortable. Plus our A/C can keep up with the weather. Kicking off our Fall Season here at the Crosby Whistle Stop, we’ve enlisted the spectacular sounds of the Beantown Swing Orchestra! And they promise to bring IT, some of us manage to see them at Wedding this summer and they tore it up! So get excited!

They’ve got a brand new cd and this will be there CD Release Party. The disc is called “Trolley Songs”, here’s Jen Hirsch and John Stevens starring in a cute video for the song (it also stars the Green line)…

According to bandleader, Frank Hsieh they love playing for us dancers. And we love to dancing to them, but hey, just a little reminder as always, “don’t forget to clap at the end of songs.” Make, “I dance, therefore, I clap” your motto. Live bands need to feel your energy to push them to greater heights, so what are you waiting for? Egg ‘em on!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central Lost+Found Fashion Show

mike — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 06:59:35 +0000

That’s right folks, we just don’t know what to do with all that stuff people keep leaving in our space, so we’re going to have a fashion show. Some of our House Managers and Board Members will model all of the stuff that’s been lying around…and hopefully you can show up and claim it, because after seeing some of this stuff sit in our Lost+Found box for a year or more, well, we need to pare it down. We’re going to be accepting bids on this stuff and the stuff that is left over, it’s going to Salvation Army…. All of this will happen briefly for about 10 minutes at 10pm and then it’s back to dancing…so come on out, check out all the unusual lost stuff that we’ve got, like the single shoe (!?) and the amazing array of umbrellas, towels and notebooks.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Shag - The Movie

mike — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 06:59:29 +0000

Tonight we have another one of our Summer blockbusters in store for you. Join us for our tribute to summertime soul and the smooth Shag dancing as exhibited in Shag - The Movie. An unforgettable flick starring Phoebe Cates and Bridget Fonda as they head to Myrtle Beach for a little Shag dancing and a girls roadtrip.

Shag, an almost exclusively Carolina-cousin of swing dancing, has some amazingly slick footwork and smooth styling that you could put into your swing dancing if you so desired…and we just love the sweet soul music! It’s the perfect feel-good summertime groove! And perhaps it will give us something great to remember next January when we’re shoveling snow… DJ extraordinaire, Downtown Julie Brown will be spinning her best for us!
Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Odessa Rose

jasmine — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 06:59:21 +0000

Yee Haw! Odessa Rose brings Western Swing back to Boston Swing Central. It’s almost the end of a great summer (*sniffle*) and we’re excited for some energetic fiddle-banjo-guitar playing and their down home back porch swing.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with what Western Swing is, don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with West Coast Swing…it is the 1940s Texas interpretation of what Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie were doing at the time. Basically, cats like Spade Cooley and Bob Wills felt that if the Duke and the Count could swing, so could they. Except they had pedal steel guitars instead of large horn sections. With the Country and Western instrumentation in place, they played hot jazz country-fried, and country songs hot jazz-style and Western Swing as a genre of music was born. We highly recommend you check out this blog to get more information on Western Swing…ahh haa!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Cabin in the Sky

mike — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:59:18 +0000

This is the 2nd in Boston Swing Central’s 2011 Summer movie inspired themes, this time out it’s Cabin in the Sky. Which features the music of Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne as Sweet Georgia Brown.

This musical comedy features some strong racial stereotyping that, today is cringworthy, but it also features some amazing dancing…from Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers: Al Minns and Leon James who enter with pimp walks and fish tails before they swing out and do aerials. And also tap duo Buck & Bubbles. We’ll do our best to recreate the feel of the time period (less the stereotyping), this movie really is an important historical document, it shows how long we’ve come since 1943, but also swing dancing in it’s original form…straight out of Harlem. Watch the trailer here:

Cabin in the Sky

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 11:45pm
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest

mike — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 06:59:44 +0000

Everybody loves summer and our summer is not complete without our annual Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest. It was quite a sight to see, everyone puckering up and spitting all at once on the back patio. Right out of a 1940s Life Magazine photo…or a Norman Rockwell painting.

This Friday Boston Swing Central will bust out some of our summer favorites including “Watermelon Man”. Game on…so practice up (if you are lucky enough to find a place that sells seeded watermelons, a feat unto itself in this day and age!) Or if you’re not game for seed spitting, just enjoy snacking on some of the seedless we’ll have available as well. It’s a summer celebration!

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)
The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Hellzapoppin’!

mike — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:59:03 +0000

Tonight we take our inspiration from Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and their appearance in the obscure film, Hellzapoppin’ (1941). Who were Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, you ask? Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers were a dance troupe formed by the inimitable promoter Herbert “Whitey” White back in 1935 in Harlem. The group featured none other than late, great Frankie “Musclehead” Manning and other legendary dancers such as Frankie’s partner Ann Johnson, Al Minns and Norma Miller. These cats were the bomb, they wrote the book and this routine is off the hook! Frankie himself pioneered/invented air steps back in the 1930s. For those of you who haven’t seen this classic routine, it inspires and humbles us and we like to watch it over and over again here.

If you were around last year, you know that in the Summer, we think of Summer movie blockbusters and we’ve tried to find a few movies to use as themes for our dances. This movie is a monster, it’s top-of-the-heap, A-number-1 of all vintage Lindy Hop routines caught on film, check it out…enjoy. (FYI: Frankie is the dancer in the overalls who get’s his butt kicked by his partner Ann Johnson).

[Please note: this night was moved from June 24th...not a mistake on our site]

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00 midnight
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Dixie Chick with Guest DJ, Alex Abdoulaev

mike — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 06:59:18 +0000

“The Dixie Chick” is definitely a head-scratcher of a theme, you’re probably thinking Alex is out of his tree by suggesting that we swing dance to the Dixie Chicks. Well actually, he was torn with indecision on whether he’d like to introduce us to some of his awesome remastered versions of Chick Webb…or feature some of his great Dixieland jazz… Ahhh the thought processes of great DJs, always wanting to turn us on to their latest treasures and we, of course, wanted to hear both. So we asked him to mash up Chick Webb with Dixieland, and thus, “The Dixie Chick” was born.

You might wonder- who was Chick Webb? Good thing we’re here to answer that question. Chick Webb was a drummer and big band leader of Savoy Ballroom house band. His band would often have Battle of the Bands with such notable bands as Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. And more often than not, the dancers at the Savoy would pick his band as the winner for the evening. Chick’s band also featured a teenage Ella Fitzgerald giving the legend her start in the music business.

Who are the Dixie Chicks? Do we really care?

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

International String Trio

mike — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:59:07 +0000

Tonight, Boston Swing Central welcomes the International String Trio to the Crosby Whistle Stop for their debut dance. The International String Trio is a Gypsy jazz combo led by guitarist, Slava Tolstoy. Check these cats out. We’ve got a virtuosic violin player from England, an equally talented Russian guitarist, and a bass player who is Asian who spent time in Australia before converging in the International String Trio. Three players, 14-strings in total makes for a unique take on Djangology.

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $13 (general), $10 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Shawn Hershey Quartet + The Lemonade Stand

mike — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 06:59:17 +0000

No, the Lemonade Stand is not a new jazz combo gracing our venue…even better! It’s exactly what you think it is, a full-blown Lemonade Stand, with fresh squeezed lemonade to parch our heatwave-strained brains. So c’mon out, enjoy the libations…

…and dig the summer good vibrations supplied by the Shawn Hershey Quartet…it’s been a while since we’ve had Shawn play for us with his smaller combo, and we’re really looking forward to it!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

All-American Swing

mike — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 06:59:45 +0000

Boston Swing Central is ready for a great 4th of July weekend, and to kick things off we’re hosting a night of All-American Swing on Friday, July 1st. That means that the Bjork, Swedish and French songs DJ RetroMike occasionally plays will have to wait another day…for tonight we’re going to be true to the Red, White & Blue and only play American artists! Americans like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Sidney Bechet (who sounds French but is as American as apple pie). So, come on out and celebrate all that is American with American music and an American dance: The Lindy Hop!

We will also have a special guest DJ tonight, Hether “LadyBlues” Samuels from New York City will be spinning for us!

Wear red, white, blue or all three on any combination on this night!

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included in price of admission)

Dancing: 9pm to 12pm

Admission: $10 General Admission, $8 for Students and Seniors

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tread on Trafficking

mike — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 06:59:51 +0000

Sorry for the last minute rescheduling of this theme, but we had a special request from one of our House Managers (Wayne) to support a worthy cause. So tonight, BSC is donating a portion of tonight’s admission to: Love146. This will not cost you anything extra, same dance price for a night of excellent DJing. Speaking of which, tonight we have DJs Cara Ball & Tina Desorcy back to spin for us.

And we will also have a bunch of new dancers showing up to participate in this fundraiser, so come on out and welcome them and help them raise awareness and funds to fight child sex slavery, which is a growing problem around the world.

Love146 was started in 2002 with the purpose of preventing child sex slavery and rescuing and providing survivors of child sex slavery with quality aftercare. It has programs and aftercare houses in the US, Europe and Asia. More info can be found on www.love146.org.

Tread on Trafficking was originated by the Love146 Boston Task Force. ToT is a virtual event that happens across the globe beginning May 1st, 2011. Those who “tread on trafficking” put their foot down to raise awareness about child sex slavery and funds to care for survivors and those vulnerable to exploitation. Treaders ask sponsors to support them for the number of miles or hours they spend running, swimming, biking or working out in some form over the eight week period of May and June. All proceeds benefit Love146.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

J Street featuring Josh Fialkoff

mike — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 06:59:22 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve been lucky enough to have Josh Fialkoff and his groovy, funky soulful swing outfit J Street on our stage. Tonight, we’ll welcome him back to the Whistle Stop. Josh will regale us with his buttery croon, his clever, interesting and decidedly curveball cover songs and some his wonderful interpretations of the classics.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Phil McGowan Quintet

mike — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 06:59:26 +0000

Boston Swing Central is excited for the debut of the Phil McGowan Quintet. A band of hot players assembled by a sometimes drummer for Baby Soda. Phil’s concept is centered around his electrifying drumming and some hot guitar playing…so we’re thinking that this will be jumping in the vein of Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators or Jonathan Stout and his Campus 5…we’re sitting on the edge of our seats with our feet tapping in anticipation!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something New!

mike — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:59:27 +0000

Tonight, Boston Swing Central is relocating to Springstep for the evening (we have a weekend-long, Tango marathon borrowing the Whistle Stop). Sorry if this presents any inconvenience, be sure not to show up at the Whistle Stop tonight as we won’t be there…

Also note that 93 will be closed at the Springstep exit, we recommend taking 38 up to Medford Center or Rt 28 to Rt 60 and then down to Springstep, sorry for any inconveniences this may cause.

Anyhow, we’re happy to have DJs Gina Helfrich and Micki Balder giving us their handpicked best old classics played by new bands. Simply put, they will be selecting some tracks by new bands like Glenn Crytzer, Boilermaker Jazz Band, Baby Soda, Jonathan Stout and many others that were once classics, but have been re-interpretted and re-recorded into new classics. We’re really looking forward to this night of hot jazz with chafalfah* on the side!

* Anyone know what chafalfah actually is? (this is from the song Frim-Fram Sauce originally by Nat King Cole)

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

Springstep
98 George P Hassett Dr
Medford, MA 02155

Frankie Manning Tribute Night with the Shim-Sham

mike — Sat, 28 May 2011 06:59:37 +0000

May 26, 1914 was the date Frankie Manning came into this world. If he was still alive today we would be celebrating his 97th Birthday this Friday night and most of us would likely be in New York at a special celebration. Sadly he passed away just shy of his 95th birthday.

But a great many of us will never forget him and his impact on our dancing lives. Who was Frankie Manning?

He was one of the original Lindy Hoppers who helped shape the dance back at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem in the 1930s. He was a member of the electrifying dance troupe, Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers, who can be seen here in this clip from Hellzapoppin.

He was a dancer, choreographer, teacher and an inspiration, sharing his stories, his effervescent personality and joyous dance moves with a new generation of dancers at camps like Beantown and Herrang. He was a real first class act.

Tonight, we pay tribute to his memory by doing his favorite line dance, the Shim Sham. Here he is leading the dance in Houston from several years ago…

We’ve enlisted Tony & Aurelie Tye of Hop to the Beat studios and Beantown Dance Camp to teach the Shim Sham in our regularly scheduled lesson slot. If you’ve seen the Shim Sham performed and always wanted to learn it, now is your chance! Later on in the evening we’ll do a communal performance tribute to Frankie, and for those who knew him, we can give him some of our thoughts.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn

mike — Sat, 21 May 2011 06:59:31 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn play their Crosby Whistle Stop debut. They’ve played for us once before, but it’s been a good long while, so we’re very excited to have them back. Their unique brand of hot jazz which features some virtuosic washboard playing and their ready to tear it up this Friday night. You may need to bring a towel and an extra shirt…because it’s going to be an evening on the up tempo side of things. So for those of you who crave speed…this might be your night. The rest of us will wait for their singer to croon a blue moon betwixt all the crazy jitterbuggin’ numbers…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gordon Webster

mike — Sat, 14 May 2011 06:59:44 +0000

Gordon Webster is back again, and this time he’s bringing the same line-up that he used to record his most recent CD, Live in Philly. It’s an exciting album and an even more exciting band. For one reason or another, he has not been able to bring this band to Boston Swing Central before, so we’re really really excited, even more so than usual. This is his full-blown hot-jazz 7-piece band, trombone, trumpet, 2 vocalists, guitar, bass, drums and Gordon behind the 88-black & whites (and if you’re counting that, that adds up to 8, it’s because Jesse Selengut plays trumpet and sings in this lineup). We will also be treated to Matt Musselman on trombone and Brianna Thomas on vocals. An all-star Gordon Webster lineup! And what a great way to spend a Friday in Mid-May! I know, nothing is gettting between us and this dance…our calendar has been marked for months.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

mike — Sat, 07 May 2011 06:59:31 +0000

We are happy to welcome back Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade. Many of you will remember her from the Sweet & Lowdown. This Friday she returns with the band she leads, the Bon Ton Parade, which promises to keep things lively and swinging with their reimagined 21st century Golden-age jazz. You will leave with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Dance Boot Camp

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:00:05 +0000

Boston Swing Central is excited to be offering a weekend “crash course” workshop for 2.5 hours on Sunday May 1st, 1pm-3:30pm. Perhaps you haven’t had time to take some Lindy Lessons during the week or maybe you always wanted to try Lindy Hop but were a little bit afraid, fear no more…We’re going to break it all down for you in simple easy steps. In this hands-on, intensive workshop we will start with Lindy Hop basics and progress to some partner Charleston moves to give you a little bit of flash on the floor.

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

When I Get Low I Get High

mike — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:59:15 +0000

Yes, April is drawing to a close, baseball season has started and the Red Sox finally starting to win a few, and we’re looking forward to May flowers. A perfect chance for us to talk about a classic swing tune, “When I Get Low I Get High” as popularized by Ella Fitzgerald and Savoy Ballroom favorite Chick Webb & his Orchestra…listen here!

I’m sure it doesn’t take an ethnomusicologist to realize that this little ditty was written about drugs and flying high away from the blues. Well listening to it today, it is such an uplifting anthem that we’re going to use that as our mantra. As we hit the street this morning we’re going to think about it all day long until the dance… Then guest DJs Devona Cartier and Isaac Marx are going to pick up on this theme and take us“Hidey-hi-dee-hi” on Cab Calloway and other fine artists from the glory days of the Savoy Ballroom. And we’re going to do it Nancy Reagan style…”Just say no to drugs”…AND…”Just say, Yes to swing”. And I guarantee you they won’ t play this.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Odessa Rose

mike — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 06:59:42 +0000

Yee Haw! Odessa Rose brings Western Swing back to Boston Swing Central for their 2nd appearance. This past January, they wowed us and warmed our Cold Cold Hearts with some energetic fiddle-banjo-guitar playing and their down home back porch swing.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Taxman, Taxman Go Away!

mike — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 06:59:15 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy that this Friday marks the end of tax season! And now we can enjoy Spring without that nagging specter of the taxman hanging over us like some college paper that needs writing. To celebrate, tonight we have Cara Ball and Tina Desorcy back as our guest DJs. Cara and Tina make a great dynamic duo and we’re looking forward to a wicked good time. Both of them know how to light up our dance floor, and we’ll surely be leaving the high stress of all those 1099s, 1040s and schedules behind.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Legacy

mike — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 06:59:16 +0000

Here’s a short story as told to us by their larger-than-life saxophone player, Ted Casher

(on right) Ted Casher

The next time I saw Bill Clinton, I was playing a fundraiser for him at the Parker House. And the next time, I was in DC with the Winiker Orchestra, playing lead alto at his Inauguration!”

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Rusty Scott Trio with guest vocalist Alicia Wagner

mike — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 06:59:06 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy to have The Rusty Scott Trio back for his first appearance in our new space. Yes, it’s been about a year since we last danced to Rusty Scott. And this time we’ve asked him to play with guest vocalist Alicia Wagner. Rusty is a soulful and groovy pianist who has been a fixture on the Boston jazz scene for some time and has played for us on several occasions. Check out their versions of Night Train and Tuxedo Junction. His playing reminds us of a little bit of Jimmy Smith and Gene Harris combined. Alicia is a semi-regular dancer at Boston Swing Central who also happens to be an accomplished jazz vocalist. We’re very excited for her to join the Rusty Scott Trio as their styles complement each other quite well.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Happy Birthday BSC with the Jailhouse 5+2!

mike — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:59:25 +0000

It’s the beginning of April and as the luck of the calendar would have it, Friday is April 1st, April Fool’s Day. A day for a merry prankster (like the staff of the BSC) and the Jailhouse 5+2, who happily agreed to be our musical Court Jesters for the evening. Juggling quartertones with a rapacious delight, the Jailhouse 5+2 display their formidable sense of humor as they swing with a 1920s speakeasy gangster swagger…AND THUS…

…if you have not seen the Jailhouse 5+2, they are a 7-piece (hence the 5+2, simple arithmetic my friend) combo which are informed by New Orleans, Hot Jazz , Dixieland and the lawless era of the 1920s! Now that’s a mouthful! And when you hear that ole banjo and those horns come marchin’ in, you will be transported back to the day when Bonnie & Clyde galavanted the countryside from Texas to Minnesota knocking off gas stations and mom and pop general stores. And we ain’t joking, we’re just April Fools…

…which concidentally (or not so), this day also happens to mark the 3rd Anniversary of Boston Swing Central! Yeah, can you believe it?! In a short 3 years: we’ve run hundreds of dances, moved into the Whistle Stop, brought you the finest swing music this side of the Mississippi and we just can’t wait for you to experience all of what we’ve got planned! Come celebrate with us (so we don’t have to pat ourselves on the back, now that would be really foolish).

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Why is a Raven like a Desk? - DJ night

mike — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 06:59:39 +0000

The Mad Hatter and the March Hare invite you to share a cup of some Earl Grey or Darjeeling…and perhaps a swing or two or three or seventeen, after all switching places at their table is sort of like the mechanics of a typical dance. Tea Time! Change partners!

The dormouse will most likely sleep through most of tonight’s dance, but you won’t. Yes, it’s our tribute to Alice in Wonderland…and in particular, Chapter 7. But don’t worry we won’t ask you too many perplexing riddles such as “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” We will however surprise and regale you with the finest of the swing canon! A veritible stacked deck of popular tunes from the 1930’s and 1940’s that will be guaranteed to put white roses in eyes of the Queen of Hearts.

…and just so you don’t ask us, Lewis Carroll provided us with an answer, “Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front!”. Which makes some sense to possibly only the Mad Hatter and us, and therein lies the key to the riddle of what exactly we’re getting on about with tonight’s theme..

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Toni Lynn Washington Band

julie — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 06:59:21 +0000

Boston Swing Central welcomes back, local Diva extraordinaire, Toni Lynn Washington. Toni Lynn rocked the the Crosby Whistle Stop on several occasions last year. And we are looking forward to her hearing her soulful voice and her deep grooves this Friday. She is a local legend, an institution, a master, a treasure, and the hottest blues diva in New England! Not to be missed!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Legacy

mike — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 06:59:23 +0000

Keeping up our relentless schedule of great live music, we’re happy to welcome back The Swing Legacy! It has been almost a year since we had this six-piece little big band play for us, and this will be their debut at the Crosby Whistle Stop.

Swing Legacy has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991, playing with the polish and powerful beat of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hopping. Many songs showcase their phenomenal singer Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of exciting original arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Sinti Rhythm with Vocalist Charlotte Jordan - Special Saturday Dance

mike — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 06:59:54 +0000

Sinti Rhythm and their twin-guitar attack, hot gypsy jazz band are back! And it’s a Saturday, so you’re wondering, what gives? Boston Swing Central has partnered with Blues Cafe to put on a special dance which will be Balboa-friendly, in support of the Bobby & Kate workshops.

They are also bringing guest vocalist, Charlotte Jordan this time out, so we’re looking for something a little different than their last several appearances at Boston Swing Central. Sinti really loves playing for dancers, and we love them. What’s not to love about a Django Reinhardt tribute band? If you don’t know what they sound like you can check them out here.

Balboa Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Baby Soda Jazz Band

mike — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 06:59:56 +0000

Baby Soda Jazz Band returns to BSC! And once again, our cup runneth over with anticipation. The last time they played for us, the Whistle Stop steamed with energy…they blew us away, and nobody wanted to go home! Their heart-pounding brand of hobo street jazz sends us into the stratosphere! The energy of their horn section, a mere trumpet and trombone was like a herd of happy elephants. And the one-string that bassist Peter plucks is more than enough to keep us moving and grooving all night long. Minimalism at it’s most perfect. Listen to them here.

So mark your calendar; we are! We will also welcome Bobby & Kate for a weekend of Balboa workshops at the Crosby Whistle Stop, they’ll do a demo performance for us, and grace us with their awesome presence.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Cangelosi Cards

jasmine — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:59:47 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy to welcome back Jake, Tamar and the rest of the Cangelosi Cards for their first gig in Boston in a long time. If you have not seen them, it’s because they’ve been in such high demand all over the World, mostly in Europe and China. But when they’re not globe hopping, they’re holed up in the denizens of Manhattan and Brooklyn where they live. Their old timey take on Hot Jazz, melds the Django influences with street blues into a pure Americana…dust bowl-era swing. Pure indeed, Tamar’s voice will entrance you and take you to the moon and back…

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this fabulous group check out their website here.
Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Anagrams Never Lie with guest DJ Gina Helfrich

mike — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:59:11 +0000

According to the Internet Anagram Server, there is a saying that “anagrams never lie”, so we plugged in some of our favorite things, first, “Swing Dance” and lo, right away, it said, “Dance Wings”, well that seems all too simple and too obvious, so next we tried “Lindy Hop” and it gave us “Hind Ploy”, interesting and somewhat ribald and truthful to be sure!

The interesting thing about anagrams is that they are rearrangements of letters, which is ultimately similar to what DJs do, they rearrange songs night after night. Tonight, guest DJ Gina Helfrich is going to cleverly and deftly rearrange her favorite songs to please us in unexpected ways, just like the Internet Anagram Server has rearranged “East Coast Swing” into “Castigates Snow”. No lie, type it in, it will take a bit of time to calculate, but voila! You’ll also get, “Saga Once Twists” and “Agnostic Sweats” and a myriad of other silly phrases..speaking of silly, perhaps there will be an anagram mixer jam tonight…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

I >heart< Swing with White Heat Swing Orchestra!

jasmine — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:59:23 +0000

Boston Swing Central is very excited for one of our most beloved dances of the year! I >heart< Swing (our 3rd year), featuring our super-cool custom-made Valentines, and our Cupids to deliver them to you! And as our musical guests, this year we have the full White Heat Swing Orchestra, all 14 pieces featuring band leader Craig Ball on clarinet. This night will be guaranteed to be in our memories for a long time as it’s our first Valentine’s Day at the Whistle Stop, so dress to impress and put on some red and pink and get ready to send your friends and secret crushes some Valentines…

If you are not familiar with the tunes you’ll be dancing to at the fabulous event. Go here and listen to what we are sure will make you dance around the room in preparation for a fun night ahead!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boilermaker Jazz Band

jasmine — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 06:59:16 +0000

Boston Swing Central is proud to present The Boilermaker Jazz Band, Pittsburgh’s finest and one of the premier swing bands in the country. We’ve been spoiled lately with the amount of talent coming through our doors and the Boilermaker Jazz Band continues our awesome Winter run…you don’t want to miss this. Boston usually only gets the Boilermaker’s once a year, if that! This band knows how to swing and has been wowing audiences all over the country at the biggest events with their Hot Jazz revelry!

If you are unfamiliar with their music check their website for tunes that will be sure to make this event a night you are anxiously anticipating… http://www.boilermakerjazzband.com/music.php

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

Please note that we will be accepting passes at the rate of: 1/2 off for one pass, full admission for two passes.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Wonderful World of Color

jasmine — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:59:20 +0000

Yes, it’s time to dress away the blah of white-washed Winter with some color…so we’re encouraging you to bust out a burst or a splash of color…reds and oranges to warm us up…guest DJs Tina Desorcy and Micki Balder will provide us with a soundtrack of full spectrum tunes.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The p.m. Stompers

jasmine — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:56:19 +0000

Don’t let the snow scare you away!
Come and dance the night away!

Ok. We admit, the opening line is a bit cheesy but we got your attention. Here’s the deal. It’s Friday! Yay! It’s another snowstorm. Boo! But the good news is that we’re still running the dance tonight and the p.m. Stompers are still planning to bring their high energy swing to the Whistle Stop.

Boston Swing Central welcomes another new band called The p.m. Stompers. The p.m. Stompers are an offshoot of Baby Soda formed by the drummer Phil McGowan (hence the p.m., but also a nod to the evening time and hence the lack of capitalization). Anyhow Phil has modelled his band on Count Basie’s late 1930s Kansas City Seven…He assures us it’s going to be “HOT”…and swinging! Can’t wait to see you there!!!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Odessa Rose

mike — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:59:16 +0000

Boston Swing Central kicks off our 2011 with a new band called Odessa Rose. Let’s dust off that winter chill this Friday, Texas-style with Odessa Rose…a Western Swing band. Just in case you don’t know what Western Swing is, don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with West Coast Swing…it is the Texas interpretation of what Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Basically, cats like Spade Cooley and Bob Wills felt that if the Duke and the Count could swing, so could they. Except they had pedal steel guitars instead of large horn sections. And then they played hot jazz country-fried, and country songs hot jazz style and yee-haw, Western Swing as a genre of music was born.

So, we’re going to try this band out tonight and see how y’all like ‘em. We heard a subset of Odessa Rose playing in a smaller combo at the brunch over at the Highland Kitchen and they made us want to get up and dance…and after talking to them, we found out that they had played for dancers before in Texas where some of them are from…so there you go…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala

jasmine — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 06:59:09 +0000

Boston Swing Central is hosting a New Year’s Eve Gala in the style of the famous Great Gatsby. For those of you fretting over New Years plans, worry no more!

What is the New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala?…a swing dance party harking back to the roaring 20s! Vintage black tie dress-up encouraged (but not required)…Charleston and Black Bottom were the dances of the day…There will be a performance, a vintage photo booth, a Ladies’ Vintage Salon (beforehand from 3pm -7pm, signup on Facebook) and a midnight toast (non-alcoholic – true to the prohibition era)…and to top it all off, we’ll have the Fried Bananas with special guest vocalist Jan Marie (a dancer and a fantastic jazz singer, who, once you hear her sing, will send your ties into a whirl!)

Admission is $25 General /$22 Students and Seniors in advance

At the door (New Years Eve Night) the price will be $30/ $25 Students and Seniors.

Tickets in advance are no longer available. But we will have tickets for sale at the door. Get there early to take the lesson and guarantee your spot! We sold over 100 tickets in advance, so it’s going to be a fun night with lots of acquaintances new and old!

Boston Swing Central at the Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129
Admission: See Above
Time: 8-9pm lesson, General dancing from 9pm to at least 12:30am.

White Christmas Swing!

mike — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 06:59:45 +0000

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever you might celebrate. Tonight our DJs aim to give you their best Holiday Swing tunes and general good cheer. As the mercury falls, so falls the snow…and we’ll need some swing dancing to keep our popsicle toes warmed. This will also help us dance off all of the extra holiday treats and meals we plan on consuming…Devona Cartier is our guest DJ for the evening.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beantown Swing Orchestra Holiday Party

mike — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 06:59:45 +0000

Boston Swing Central is proud to announce the Crosby Whistle Stop debut of Beantown Swing Orchestra! Yes it’s been a while since we’ve been able to host a big band with so many musicians, and tonight they told us they are bringing a 4-piece string Quartet with them in addition to the regular big band! So the sound is going to be MASSIVE! Just like the good ole days before amplification when the bands were BIG to fill a hall with sound.

They’re also bringing with them 3rd Season, American Idol finalist, John Stevens to do the vocal chores…John has a melifluous voice which reminds us a lot of Rat Pack icons, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and the more contemporary artist: Harry Connick Jr.

Frank Hsieh, bandleader for BSO, promises a few Holiday tunes in the mix as he is using this outing as a tune-up for their upcoming corporate gigs. To add to the fun and because they love playing for dancers we’d like to take heed a little reminder from Reuben and tell you…. “don’t forget to clap at the end of songs.”

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Jailhouse Five Plus Two - Dixieland Jazz Band

mike — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 06:59:29 +0000

The Jailhouse Five Plus Two returns with their authentic and enthusiastic Dixieland jazz…and we’re ready for a night of great music and fine dancing. This fantastic band brings an air of authenticity, as you can easily tell this is the music that they grew up with, cherish, and love and have played for many years.

The name, The Jailhouse Five Plus Two is inspired by the lawless characters of the prohibition era when Dixieland was adopted as the popular music of the time, “The Roaring Twenties.” This time is also fondly remembered as the Great Gatsby era which also happens to be the theme of our upcoming New Year’s Eve bash…

Bootlegging, speakeasies, bath tub gin, Bonnie & Clyde and other lawless activity was the way of life in major U.S. cities. The Jailhouse Five Plus Two tries to capture the exhaltation of the era. Happy, fast, boisterous, free, and improvisational are all descriptors of their music. Come on out and feel their electricity…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Great Turkey Swingout!

mike — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 06:59:26 +0000

This also kicks off a big swing dancing weekend where we welcome some of our favorite teachers Skye Humphries and Naomi Uyama, and we’re hoping that they get a chance to stop by. For those of you attending their workshops think of it as a chance to get a little extra practice in and perhaps dazzle us with some fancy foot work.

Lesson (included in the price of admission):
8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Ain’t We Slick! A Tribute to Mike Smith

mike — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 06:59:32 +0000

Yes- it’s November, we’re almost at the end of the decade and perhaps our themes are running a little nutty (tweed, slick)… Perhaps we’ll redefine ourselves as we leave the oughties behind. For now, we’re going to pay tribute to former Monday Night Practice stalwart and DJ, Mike Smith, aka Slick Mike.

This past summer, Slick Mike ended his reign as the most prominent DJ in the Boston Swing Scene (moving his family West sort of like in the Grapes of Wrath) and “Consarn it!”, we miss his reliable and steady hand in the DJ booth. For over 10 years, Mr. Smith was as sold as a rock delivering us the hoodle-addle of classic swing music. If you don’t remember his DJing or never experienced his DJing, don’t worry, we’re talking about some iconic tracks that are inspiring to dance to. So tonight, we’re going to party like it’s 1999, or 2002, or 2004, or 2008! Slick Mike had a great tenure here as our own King of Swing and maybe someday he will show up and really DJ for us! For now we’ll have to settle for this well-researched and fitting tribute.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tweedlee Deedlee Dee, How Tweed It Is!

mike — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 06:59:44 +0000

It’s a tweed tweed tweed world and we at Boston Swing Central just
live in it. Not really, but, it’s time to get dressed up again and
this time it’s tweed that we’re celebrating. Why tweed you ask and
not gabardine or suede? Well, tweed is for distinguished ladies and
gents. And it reminds us of a time when we were dancing in the
parlour. We were also inspired by several discerning dancers who went on the Tweed Ride http://bostontweed.blogspot.com/.

As incentive, we’re offering a $1 discount to those who bust
out their best Harris, Donegal or herringbone outfits. And if you come
adorned in a tweed headcoat not only will our jaws drop to the floor, we might
have to jam you dear chap. Pip pip and cheerio…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10 ($9 donning the tweed)
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8 ($7 clad in tweed)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Baby Soda Jazz Band

mike — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 06:59:00 +0000

Baby Soda Jazz Band makes their BSC debut tonight! And we couldn’t be more excited - we’ve been trying to get them to play at the BSC for almost a YEAR! Some of you may remember them when they played at Uptown Swing Dance during BIX this past May, and oh what a fabulous evening it was.

Their heart pounding brand of hobo street jazz makes us swoon! From the traditional sound of the trumpet and trombone to the one string box bass this band has a sound that is sure to keep your feet moving all night long. Listen to them here.

So get excited; we are! And get ready for another high energy night of dancing, we want you to bring it, because we know Baby Soda Jazz Band will.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Calling All Zombies 3-D!

mike — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 06:59:58 +0000

Calling All Zombies*! It’s time to heed the bell toll for another ghastly and ghoulish Halloween party at Boston Swing Central. It’s our 3rd year and this time we’re in 3-D (I think we always were, but that seems to be the thing to do when you get to that third sequel in the series). Rise up all you creepy crawlies and pay tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson and dance to the shocking sounds of Shawn (of the Dead) Hershey and the Fried Bananas.

The lesson will feature Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance as taught for the third straight year by the reanimated duo of Jason Provost and Diana Byrne. The lesson begins promptly at 7:30pm - 9pm and then performed later on in the evening (performing is optional - we won’t force ya!) So, start studying YouTube now… Don’t miss this party as it will be one of the best of the Fall!

Extended Lesson Time (included in the price of admission): 7:30pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:30am
General Admission: $17 ($15 with costume discount)
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15 ($13 with costume discount)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

*Being a zombie is one of the easiest costumes we can think of…so no excuses!

Gordon Webster Quartet featuring Brianna Thomas

mike — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 06:59:11 +0000

Gordon Webster is back once again with his stellar Quartet featuring vocalist Brianna Thomas. Gordon is one of the most in demand swing band leaders in the country, maybe even in the world. He’s played at every camp, exchange and special event from Sweden to Seoul and we’re lucky he’s made Boston a regular stop on his tour.

This time he brings Brianna Thomas, who reminds us of a young Ella Fitzgerald. This combination is swing dancing nirvana! And dancing to their music is what we imagine it might’ve been like to see Ella live back in 1948. Something like this. (Except, of course, unlike Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington, we wouldn’t be sitting down). So come with us tonight and let’s enjoy the lightning they’ve caught in a bottle and will unleash at the Crosby Whistle Stop, because it is pure magic!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
Special Event Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Sweet & Low Down and Bring a Friend Get in Free Promotion

mike — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 06:59:33 +0000

If you have not yet heard the Sweet & Low Down, you are in for a treat, and if you have heard them, then you know how great they are. The harmonies of Miss Tess and Rachel Price are the “Sweet” part and the rhythm section brings the “Low Down”. A mixture of blues and swing that is simply intoxicating.

And if that weren’t enough, we’re bringing back our “Bring a Friend, Get in FREE” Promotion. This was popular earlier this spring, and we want to see what you guys can do this fall. See qualifying details below. Why are we doing this? Because most people hear about us through a friend. And we know how hard it is to get your friends on the dance floor – we’ve all been there. So for those of you that can weed through all of those excuses and get someone new to our dance, you’re finally getting rewarded!

Promotion Qualifying Details:

1) In order to get free admission when bringing a friend, you (the dancer) needs to have attended at least one BSC Dance prior to October 15, 2010. Your friend must have NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN ONCE been to a BSC dance. How will we know? Oh, we’ll know!

2) You must get there with your friend BEFORE 8:20PM so they can take our beginning lesson that starts at 8PM.

3) If you bring a friend and you have also NEVER been to our dance, you DO NOT qualify for the discount.

4) The person must be your friend and of the homo sapiens. Imaginary friends, Lassie, ET, pet rocks, etc. do not qualify.

5) You must mention this promotion at the door when paying admission to receive it. You can’t come back later and ask for it if you forget (if ya snooze, ya lose).

7) May not be combined with any other promotions or discounts(i.e. get in free or half off coupons/passes, discounts received for angeling or DJ’ing, etc. Board Members do not qualify.)

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129