Lucy, dear girl that she is, is out of town. She is currently taking Washington, D.C., by storm and couldn't be with me at a great swing show this week. I know she would have loved the show, and hey, I missed her. But I guess I'm going solo this week.
Indigo Swing, a pretty groovy swing band from San Francisco, played at McCullough's recently and again at the Zephyr. I was fortunate enough to see the show at the Zephyr. I am now swing's biggest fan.Swing, a type of music typical of the '40s, has been making a huge comeback over the past few years. Last year's movie "Swingers," and bands such as Royal Crown Revue and the Squirrel Nut Zippers have completed the movement's popularity.
Swing is most popular in New York and Los Angeles, but the entire country has caught the craze, including Salt Lake. There are several nights each week that you can shake your booty to great swing music here in little old Salt Lake City. The U. swing club, decked from head-to-toe in 1940s attire, sponsors swing nights every Friday and Sunday at McCullough's; the Beverly Brothers, a jazz and swing band, plays at the Manhattan every Saturday; and bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Royal Crown Revue have played to sold out crowds at the Zephyr and the U. Ballroom in the past year.
Indigo Swing formed about four years ago and spearheaded the swing movement along with several other California bands. They consist of Johnny Boyd, vocals; William Beatty, piano; Jim Overton, drums; Josh Workman, guitar; Vance Ehlers, bass; and Baron Shul, sax. These guys are really nice. They play approximately seven shows a week all over the country and have probably been through countless interviews. Nevertheless, they were full of energy, spent plenty of time hanging out with me and answering my questions, and seemed not to mind that I cut into their pre-show relaxation time.
Each band member has a pretty unique personality. Baron was a Peace Corps representative in Thailand and is the only band member from New York City; the rest are Californians. He considers life on the road pretty simple in comparison with the Peace Corps.
Johnny, on the other hand, considers their travels "roughing it," and says, "I'm just a big sissy." Johnny noticed me writing down "sissy," and immediately began taking pride in the label. He even signed a fan's CD "sissy boy." That's a guy I can respect.
Jim didn't say a word, but I was told to hold my hand completely flat if I chose to feed him.
William Beatty didn't participate in the interview. He was labeled by the other band members as "the shy guy." About five minutes before they started playing, William motioned me over to the piano and asked how the interview went. I think he kind of looks like George McFly, and I have to admit to having a bit of a crush on him.
But enough about personality. Let's talk music. In my humble opinion, these guys rock. They are extremely tight, full of energy and altogether very talented. Their cover tunes are done with their own indigo flair, and their originals certainly don't disappoint. Indigo Swing consider themselves purists, and they bring their own upright piano on the road with them to avoid using an electronic keyboard. But the real indicator of their talent as a swing band is the fact that they had just about everyone in the Zephyr out of their seats and dancing.
I asked Indigo Swing why they like swing music. They responded with: "Swing opened up an entire genre to a whole new generation. People are dancing with each other again instead of at each other. People are listening to acoustic music again and experiencing a music in new ways."
Everyone will be able to experience Indigo Swing's rhythm and energy later this spring when its second CD, including eight new originals, is released.