SwingDJs

I’m not huge fan of Neo, but there are a lot of people out there who love it.
If you were asked to play some neo-swing mixed into our set what would you spin? (Suicide is not an option).

Brian

If you're a cool teenager, you'll trash your parents and say they just don't get it, even though you secretly love them and appreciate that, despite all their flaws, they are the ultimate reason you are here.

Royal Crown Revue (any CD)
Indigo Swing (any CD)
The Love Dogs (Boston)
Cigar Store Indians (The French Title... La Balle de la something er other--turn DOWN the bass)
Mighty Blue Kings (any CD--they changed style from Neo Jump Blues to Blues over time--great, groove version of "Money Gettin Cheaper" on the live CD)

If it were under those pretenses that I agreed to the gig, then of course I would play it.

If the person signing my check gave me a mix CD or a couple of other discs to spin and made an imperative, then I suppose I would fit them in somewhere.

If not, I don't carry the stuff in my book, my Powerbook, or my iPod, so I guess not.

Aside: I really do not consider bands like Lavay, Indigo Swing, and the Mighty Blue Kings as part of the 'neo' set. When I think of 'neo' I think 'swing-rock', and these are not swing-rock, although Indigo Swing and MBK would not be my first choice of what to dance to.

I've played gigs several times where I'm supposed to play neo-stuff.
What I've found is that there's a lot of old swing/jump stuff that works fine, just because it's so cool. Things like Louis Jordan - Got my mojo working, Lionel Hampton - Lavender Coffin are essential.

Of course you can also go for the neo-classics Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Cherry poppin daddies. They don't really have much stuff worth playing if you're looking for good music but neo-fans get what they want.

Put in some Yalloppin Hounds and HepCat Daddies to be on the jazzy side of Neo. They're actually great jazz musicians both bands, not really neo (in the swing-rock sense) but some think so.

Drew wrote: Aside: I really do not consider bands like Lavay, Indigo Swing, and the Mighty Blue Kings as part of the 'neo' set. When I think of 'neo' I think 'swing-rock', and these are not swing-rock, although Indigo Swing and MBK would not be my first choice of what to dance to.

Yeah... but most of the people listening to your set would consider those bands neo. So do I... not necessarily because of the music, but because that's what I was listening to at the time.

If someone here asks for neo, I usually play Indigo Swing, MBK, RCR and Lavay Smith and they seem to be happy. I can throw Brian Setzer, Alien Fashion Show, Squirrel Nut Zippers in there as well. Hell, if I play "Stray Cat Strut" they seem to be happy.

I'm not going to be one of those folks that knocks neo. Like anything, it's got it's time and place and it's fun to play when you feel like reminiscing.

Tina

Atomic Fireballs - one of the few neo-swing bands I still like. Spin "Man with the Hex." I also enjoy Hipster Daddy-O and the Handgrenades (HDH). "Diesel" would be the HDH CD I'd recommend.

Hipster Dadddy-O and the Handgrenades?


man, if I owned that CD, I would never let anyone know, oh man

Yeah, I know...I still like it. I think of it as being more rock, rather than anything related with swing.

SNZ would be my first choice. "You're Drivin' Me Crazy" is a great track I still play fairly often.

Lavay Smith's Blue Skies is also great, as are many of her other toons, like voo-it voo-it.

Generally I'll choose new bands doing classic tunes, as I prefer the lyrics, and I think the band members play with a more old feeling when they do old pieces.

Boilermaker Jazz Band is also not what I'd call neo, but their recording quality is great, and it will satisfy the Neo peoples.

8 1/2 Souvenirs is also a resonable choice.

Altough I think what they often mean when they ask for neo is can you play something a) Recognizable, and b) uptempo and c) Good recording quality. Other ways I've found to satify this contingent of people:

Big 18
Swing Kids Soundtrack
Andrews Sisters
Minnie the Moocher (calloway version)
Big Joe Turner
Peggy Lee
Louis Prima

I find this request for neo comes in mostly when the DJ gets to groovy...