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

Those who have never 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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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