Calling all Cat's and Kittens...Swing is alive at the Thunderbird

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Most of the local shows worth going to in this city don't start until around ten o'clock in the evening.  That's why on any given night before a show, you will find my friends and I wondering from pub to pub trying to get in the right mindframe for the gig ahead.

On one such night, almost two years ago, we had tickets for a show at Club Cafe, that of course, didn't start until ten at night.  We headed down to the South Side early to enjoy a few pre-game cocktails.  Most of our usual haunts, however, just weren't singing us their siren song.  So we strayed from the hustle and bustle of East Carson Street, down a dimly lit 18th, and wound up at the James St. Tavern.

What we expected to find was a less-than-crowded, hole-in-the-wall, cheap drinks kind of joint.  What we discovered instead when we passed through the door, was a fully packed, hole-in-the-wall, cheap drinks kind of joint, with a six piece swing band playing in the backroom.  It was quite an unexpected, but absolutely welcome, suprise.

I do not recall the name of the band that was playing at Club Cafe that night, but I do remember the name of the swing band; the Neon Swing X-perience.  These fellows have been playing around town for over ten years, and how I had never heard of them was vexing.  This is the kind of band that can transport you back in time to when the music was clean, the air was smokey, men knew how to dress, and weren't afraid to dance  Not only do they break out the standards you would expect to hear from a band of this genre, but they compose and play their own music as well.  That is what sets them apart from the more gimmicky bands that are out there.  They are extremely talented musicians with a stage presence that could energize the crowd at a funeral. 

If you have not had the honor of seeing the Neon Swing X-perience yet, tonight is your chance.  They are opening up for Austin singer/songwriter Guy Forsyth at the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville.  Tickets are $12 at the door and the doors are at 7:30pm.  So what are you doing still reading this?  Neon Swing is the perfect reason to dress up, get out, order a dirty martini, and pretend you can jitterbug with the best of them.