     By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 - 03:49 pm: Edit |
To help keep cool during the warmer, summer nights, this Thurs. Jun. 2nd, we're having our 1st FAN NIGHT of the summer. The first 5 people to bring in a LARGE, INDUSTRIAL SIZE FAN for use at the Firehouse gets in FREE! Two conditions: 1) It must be a LARGE fan (as judged by the lovely Laura at the door); and 2) you must let us use your fan from your arrival until at least 11:30p. Only the 1st 5 fan lenders get in FREE, so please come early to set up your fan. Just to be clear, we are borrowing your fan for the evening. We are not asking you to give or donate a fan to us for the summer, but if you feel inclined to do so, by all means, go right ahead. Also if you are not able to come early and are not one of the first 5 fan lenders and you still want to donate your fan for the cause, you are a saint. Hope to see you all this Thursday at the much COOLER Firehouse! |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Thursday, June 02, 2005 - 11:07 am: Edit |
2004 Ford Mustang Raffle Giveaway tonight at the Firehouse! Well, not really, but you should come. And bring a fan. |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 09:39 am: Edit |
So what's the deal with all you fuddy duddy regulars not coming out to the Firehouse any more? Too much neo-swing for you or something? It has been great there pretty consistently, but it does seem as if we have a much higher ratio of beginners and newer people. Does the new blood keep the old blood away? |
| By Westiehopper (Westiehopper) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 10:42 am: Edit |
Blood transfusions can hurt. Plus, I'm one of those who is not too keen on your music sets, Jeremy. I know most people love your stuff, so I just keep my mouth shut and don't come down very often. I deal with it better when I get to dance with people I really connect with, but your music combined with inexperienced leaders is deadly for me. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 11:17 am: Edit |
I'm a fuddy duddy who must re-commit to going out more often to support the music I like! I live in fear of making the effort to drive down from N. County only to encounter an entire evening of groove and blues. There's nothing inherently wrong with that style of music, it's just not what gets my foot tapping. As it feels like the pendulum is swinging (no pun intended) that way again these days, I tend not to want to go out. The result is two fewer fuddy duddies not representing! The Firehouse is always enjoyable to me and Jeremy, I love your DJing. I'll take your post as the kick in the pants I need to start coming out more regularly. |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 11:34 am: Edit |
I had planned on going to Firehouse last night but a certain follow requested I go to Jump Jones at Tio Leo's so I did that. I love the mix of music at Firehouse with Jeremy and Brian. I like hearing it all in one night. I love to groove, love to swing, love to sway. A great follow makes it all good. Jane does have a point. I'm excited to see all the newbies at the Firehouse, but half the time on the faster tempo stuff, which I love, I can't find a follow who I think can dance that fast. So, yeah, rather than risk injury, or simply just to not have an awkward, bad dance with some stranger, I pass. Jump Jones is gettin' a LOT better btw. I was surprised last night. The place was pretty full even though most were not Lindy Hoppers. |
| By Shepkatt (Shepkatt) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 11:37 am: Edit |
I did both! :-) Lots of driving last night but it was fun.. The band was rockin' last night but the dance floor was overflowing.. GREAT for the band and Tio's not so great for those of us getting stepped on from all directions by kamikaze swing outs.. :-) I have a good time no matter where I am.. Love hangin with my friends.. listenin to music and moving my feet. |
| By Badkitty (Badkitty) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 05:25 pm: Edit |
Hey Jeff, I can dance fast. Ask Jason and Sal. We set Henry's on fire last Tuesday. Sorry to miss the Firehouse. I had to get up really early this morning so I stayed home and went to bed. |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Friday, June 03, 2005 - 06:11 pm: Edit |
Interesting thoughts everyone. Thanks for replying. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Sunday, June 05, 2005 - 08:31 am: Edit |
That's it?? Any conclusions, Jeremy? |
| By Ron (Ron) on Sunday, June 05, 2005 - 10:54 am: Edit |
Susan- The pendulum is swinging to groove and blues again? I may have to start coming out again! Who is playing it? I thought Brian was playing more neo-type stuff to appeal to the beginners rather than groovy. I haven't been there recently, so I don't have much to go on. |
| By Laurel (Laurel) on Sunday, June 05, 2005 - 02:31 pm: Edit |
Who you calling a fuddy duddy, ya little brat! :P I really did intend on going to the FH these last 2 Thursdays but somehow my arse never got there. It'll be there this Thurs, by golly, because by then it'll be 3 wks since I last danced. I need my therapy! I don't think the FH has been leaning heavily towards groove/blues but it's been fun anyway (heh heh). |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Sunday, June 05, 2005 - 07:00 pm: Edit |
Rob did a great job at Corner Boogie on Friday. Played all the fast stuff more towards the beginning of the night, and got a little groovier and slower towards the end. What a concept. I got there at 10:30 and really enjoyed his sets. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Monday, June 06, 2005 - 07:01 am: Edit |
I don't think the FH tends to groovy, it just seems like the DJing and even bands I've heard lately in SD in general are tending to be groovier. The CB is typically a bastion of traditional swing with some western swing and and a little fast Elvis thrown in. That this past Friday went 1/3 trad and 2/3 groove/blues just reinforced my feeling that things are headed toward such a weighting more and more. |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Monday, June 06, 2005 - 08:24 am: Edit |
I think I agree with Susan. I try to play to the crowd and it seems like the crowds lately have been more interested in the modern groovier stuff. It's not anything that I'm really interested in dancing to, but if most of the people in the room want to hear it, then I will play it. |
| By Tearshedding (Tearshedding) on Monday, June 06, 2005 - 04:02 pm: Edit |
Just please don't play Jump Blues... it makes me wanna jump off a cliff. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Monday, June 06, 2005 - 06:04 pm: Edit |
Me, too. And I don't wanna hear any smart remarks from the peanut gallery. |
| By Badkitty (Badkitty) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 08:54 am: Edit |
Peanut gallery? Ain't nobody here but us chickens! |
| By Ron (Ron) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 10:21 am: Edit |
I'm going to whip out my big 10-inch.... record of the band that plays the blues... |
| By Susant (Susant) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 04:23 pm: Edit |
Good lord, please don't do either. |
| By Mel (Mel) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 05:27 pm: Edit |
hey now. there is music i don't like dancing to, also. but, a night is really only good if a little of all styles of swing are showcased. we have already agreed that we will never get everyone to agree on a style of music, so the only option left is to share. |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 09:04 pm: Edit |
Yes, Mel is right. That is why I won't play all classic swing or all hot jazz or all anything. I try to mix it up evenly based on who is there and who is actually dancing. I do find it somewhat irritating when people hear three or four swing songs in a row and suddenly start saying that the music sucks and they can't or won't dance to it. In all reality, I have never played exclusively older music, with one excpetion: Chance's Rhythmic Arts Festival (which incidentally was probably the most fun I've ever had DJing). Anyway, unless there are a lot of people dancing to the old stuff, I will rarely play it for more than a few songs in a row without switching to some other genre. Even if a lot of people are dancing to it, I will never play older music for more than about 20 minutes, maybe 30, because even if a lot of people ARE dancing to it, there are surely people who don't want to dance to it, and I don't want to get them too irritated. And I will never play more than one or two fast songs in a row (unless it's the Rhythmic Arts festival or something like that). |
| By Alreet (Alreet) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 09:06 pm: Edit |
Hi. Rob here. Any reports of me playing 1/3 groove 1/3 blues are mistaken. What I actually did was play music I enjoy listening to. From all genres. I alternate trad swing with newer stuff. I space out the really fast or slow songs. I just happen to bias the TEMPOS: Medium/slow during the first bit for the beginners, then faster, and then I taper down at the end of the evening. Then we put on Yanni and have a nice stretch and cool down period. Then the group hugs. Every good DJ I know of adopts a similar strategy, but more importantly, they pay attention to the crowd. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GENRES. There are slow groovy tunes that have more energy than uptempo traditional swing. Likewise, there are fast traditional swing songs that are more funky than most so-called groove tunes. I hope that DJs will continue to find music that inspires good dancing, and I hope dancers will continue to rise to the occasion of a good song that is not necessarily easy to dance to. However, I do believe that any DJ who states having a preference for one genre over another suffers from prejudice, and doesn't have a strong enough command of "the literature." Denying a whole genre of music is akin to stating that you know more than the musicians who created the music. Yes, you - spinner of little plastic disks. What DJ, whose job is it to please and educate the crowd, would do that? PS This is not aimed at anyone in particular so, please don't take it personally... unless it applies to you. |
| By Melbamoose (Melbamoose) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 09:38 pm: Edit |
and rob, that...was a good post as well. god, I can almost taste this "lindy (bleh) love"....bleh.... |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Tuesday, June 07, 2005 - 10:30 pm: Edit |
I agree with you Rob, except that I don't think there's anything wrong with having a preference for one type of music over another. Obviously, you can't expect everyone to like everything. Especially when it comes to dancing. For example, I love listening to say, John Lee Hooker, but I don't necessarily want to dance lindy hop to that music. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 06:24 am: Edit |
Gaak! Rob, I didn't report how you broke up your music styles at CB, just took it from your initial post that it would go that way. Apologies for steering folks wrong! I do enjoy mixed music nights that I feel are evenly distributed among music styles. That said, an evening of 100% traditional swing is right up my alley and I agree with Jeremy that there's nothing wrong with having that strong preference. |
| By Alreet (Alreet) on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 10:24 am: Edit |
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/06/07/robots.ballroom/index.html Am I the only one who thinks this guy looks like Lee? |
| By Badkitty (Badkitty) on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 11:30 am: Edit |
I'm still waiting for "Panic" by the Smiths. Its semi-danceable! |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Wednesday, June 08, 2005 - 12:00 pm: Edit |
"There are slow groovy tunes that have more energy than uptempo traditional swing." Yes, Rob. I so agree. And Rob I think EVERY DJ should MEMORIZE this one line from your post and make it their mantra. "Denying a whole genre of music is akin to stating that you know more than the musicians who created the music. Yes, you - spinner of little plastic disks. What DJ, whose job is it to PLEASE AND EDUCATE THE CROWD, would do that?" Thanks, Rob. |
| By 8count (8count) on Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 04:25 pm: Edit |
It's nice to know, you can take the man out of San Diego, but the debate stays the same;) In all seriousness, I do miss the scene. Except Jeremy...His zoot suits and floppy hat are an embarrassement to lindy hoppers every where. |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 06:09 pm: Edit |
I still wear them on a weekly basis if possible. |
| By Badkitty (Badkitty) on Friday, June 10, 2005 - 10:42 am: Edit |
That pic of Lee with a robot was funny, Rob. Is that what they do in Denver these days?? |
| By Tylerdurden (Tylerdurden) on Friday, June 10, 2005 - 12:40 pm: Edit |
LOL. My hair is a little bit light then his. The picture gives a whole new meaning to the phase do the robot.  |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 05:55 pm: Edit |
  Yes, you loved them at the closing party of the Hillcrest Firehouse last June. Now, exactly one year later, we're bringing The Big Mo Band back to play at the new La Jolla Firehouse this Thurs. Jun. 16th with their musical tribute to two of the greatest soul/jazz crooners of the late 20th century, Ray Charles and Joe Williams. Because of the movie "Ray", most everyone knows who Ray Charles is, but some of you may not be aware of the singing legacy of the late great Joe Williams. If so, then click on the following link: http://www.riverwalk.org/profiles/williams.htm Doors open at 9pm. The band plays 3 45-minute sets starting at 9:15p, 10:15p and 11:15p. $10 tickets are available at the door. All ages are welcome. Be prepared to dance your summer night away to some uplifting soul/jazz swing! ***** Thurs. Jun. 16th The Big Mo Band La Jolla YMCA Firehouse 9p-12a $10. All ages. For more info/directions to this event, call me at 858-395-6060 or visit: http://www.cafesavoy.com/firehouse.html |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Sunday, June 12, 2005 - 06:22 pm: Edit |
Ha! I'm listening to Joe Williams right now. "Jump for Joy". What a great song. Alright! A night of groovy jazz. It'll feel the old Firehouse for a night. |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 05:21 am: Edit |
**JUST ADDED** -- Fellow swing dancer and last year's "Starlight Search" swing karaoke winner, Ms. Ylva Elias from Sweden, will be joining David Mosby on vocals. Look out for some hot and steamy blues duets tonight. See you there! |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 04:42 pm: Edit |
ough'oh...watch out! |
| By Tylerdurden (Tylerdurden) on Thursday, June 16, 2005 - 04:51 pm: Edit |
hot and steamy blues duets tonight. NICE!!! |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 02:32 am: Edit |
Wow! Tonight is what builds dance scenes. Thank God! The old Firehouse was back!! (at least for one night). Dance floor: PACKED ALL NIGHT! Band: AMAZING. Dancers: HAPPY!! ('cept for the showboats, which I'm sorry to admit was me and my bad attitude there for a minute, who had no room to shine cuz it was so packed, and all the beginners felt comfortable, i.e yes, moderate tempos). I've got a WORD doc filled with the post I was gonna write, but I'll wait a few days and rethink it. Suffice to say, if all dance venues were like tonight, we'd have 500 regulars. Easy. |
| By Shepkatt (Shepkatt) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 09:11 am: Edit |
Dangit! I wasn't going to post.. I was trying so hard not to post after you, Jeff, lest someone think we are the same person... The band last night was awesome.. Meeshi was right when he said it was going to be great. I am beat but what a fun night. Guess I will have to try to check in from vacation to see your rethunk post.. |
| By Salperez (Salperez) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 10:04 am: Edit |
Thanks for the claw dance SHEPKATT or JEFFKATT. LOL |
| By Shepkatt (Shepkatt) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 10:14 am: Edit |
Yep that was me.... Pretty sure it wasn't JeffKatt. The claw dance is reserved just for you, danceman - lucky boy! |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 11:43 am: Edit |
Ahhhh, yes. Night's like last night remind me why I still swing dance after all these years. They were the perfect band for Firehouse dancers. It was great to see so many beginners cut loose and enjoy themselves dancing. The Big Mo Band will be back at the Firehouse very soon. |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 12:16 pm: Edit |
Exactly, Meeshi. Music that compelled everyone at every level to move. Glad they'll be coming back soon. |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 12:19 pm: Edit |
And the DJ'd breaks with Brian djing were the icing on the cake! The whole evening had such a nice flow and vibe to it. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Friday, June 17, 2005 - 02:49 pm: Edit |
Question for you Meeshi: is this Firehouse intended to be the Moving Arts FH replacement? Just wondering, because F2 had a different flavor. |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 01:23 am: Edit |
Jeff, FOR Meeshi, not AS Meeshi. He came over to my house tonight after work. I made him dinner, (which seems to be my calling these days for all dancers adrift and otherwise...usually just geographically close), and gave him a glass of Orgegonian Pinot Noir (for all you Mormon's and whatevers out there...it's a delicate red wine that kicks your ass like...  ...Angelina Jolie in "Tomb Raiders" or "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". Anyway, afterwards Meeshi spake thusly..."F2 was Chance's thing. Right now I'm just doing what I really want to do from week to week. Last night was right for last night. The timing for The Big Mo Band was perfect. But the success of last night was more than just the band, it was the people there and what they were in the mood for. I'd like to have Big Mo every two months or so. But I also want to mix it up. Sometimes I feel like fast, high energy music, and other times not. I'm just gonna do what I feel from week to week". So, there you have it, second hand. But, Susan, based on my "interview" with Meeshi tonight over this very subject, every week's gonna be different, and there's no going back to the Thursday night Firehouse on 5th, cuz Meeshi's not there right now. Actually neither are most of us. Personally, I think the only way promoters of swing dance venues can stay sane, amidst the never-quite-profitable return, is to keep it interesting for themselves. Selfish? More self preservationist if ya ask me. No wonder Meeshi loves Kava Lounge so much. It's therapy. A musical massage after the weekly swing grind. Caveat: This is Jeff saying a few words for Meeshi, without his consent or approval, because he's been so busy that he may not be able to respond to questions in a timely fashion. So ultimately, what HE has to say on this matter is what counts. |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 03:36 pm: Edit |
Susan, Jeff did a pretty good job paraphrasing me. Some nights the new Firehouse will feel like the old Firehouse, and some nights it will more like F2. Last month, we had the Hot Club of San Diego, and this month, we had the Big Mo Band. I don't think the Firehouse has to have one flavor or feel all the time, although it sure was fun to dance to a GREAT soul/jazz band all night long. The Big Mo Band will be back in August, who knows who I'll have in July (well, I have an idea, but the band has yet to get back to me). |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 05:47 pm: Edit |
ANNOUNCEMENT: Unfortunately, my school schedule has changed and starting next month, I will no longer be able to continue as a house DJ at the Firehosue. I'm sure this will be good news to some of you (hehe). I will be an on-call DJ, so I will definitely be spinning tunes every once in a while. The new Firehouse has been a very fun place to DJ, and I'm going to miss it. I will definitely be DJing the next 3 weeks, but after that, it might be a while before you see me again. In fact, this is probably going to signal my entrance into semi-retirement from the "lindy hop" scene. I've already been drifting away, and now that I don't have a regular weekly committment to bring me out, it's probably only going to be the occasional event that I make it to. I have new interests and goals and priorities that are slowly pushing dancing down on my list of things that I will be making time for. And honestly, the direction of music and dancing in the scene nowadays isn't doing anything to make me want to stay. It's been a fun several years. I always will keep dancing in my heart, and I know that Michelle and I will always consider ourselves dancers and especially lindy hoppers. And who knows, maybe we'll be back. Whatever happens, we will be seeing you all every once in a while. And yes, I will keep my eye on the forums and try to create some controversy every once in a while. |
| By Melbamoose (Melbamoose) on Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 05:52 pm: Edit |
jeremy, it has been rad having you as a fellow dancer who was down for learning and encompassing what makes this dance so amazing. your drive and want for what makes lindy hop so good is evident in how your dancing and dj-ing has developed. As a dancer who has drifted already, it's too bad that you as well are going. and like I said before, despite how much it got jeff's panties in a bunch... all the cool kids are leaving! |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 12:57 am: Edit |
Jeremy! "A time for every purpose under heaven"... You'll be back for sure. And every time you walk through our doors you'll be mobbed with hugs. There's NOBODY like you, man. You're a bad ass dancer and a great dj. You and Michelle rock togehter. We'll miss you, for sure, but I'm also extremely confident that as you accomplish some of your goals, Lindy Hop will resume it's rightful place. It's a hobby. A drug. One of the few good habits out there. Indulge once in a while and show us how it's done. Thank God, good Jazz music, and moving to it, is so much bigger than you and me, not even someone like me can •••• it up. Yeah, cool kids come and cool kids go. Such is life. But there were 150 very cool people at Lindy by the Bay tonight testifying to the fact that Lindy is alive and well, and growing day by day. So rest assured, if and when you ever jump back in, there will be lots of very cool people who will recognize their own and be glad you're back. You're one of my favoite leads to watch and I'll miss seeing you around reminding me what Lindy Hop is supposed to look like! Live long and proper. |
| By Badkitty (Badkitty) on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 09:06 am: Edit |
Damn, another great lead leaves the scene. Jeremy, don't you know there IS no life after dance? |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 08:37 pm: Edit |
John from SLO MAY be qualified to take his place. All these great TALL leads moving to San Diego. Suddenly, I feel short. |
| By Melbamoose (Melbamoose) on Monday, June 20, 2005 - 08:27 am: Edit |
oh well there you go, Jeremy.....you're replaceable! see ya, wouldn't want to be ya! ;) |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Thursday, June 23, 2005 - 04:37 am: Edit |
From the front page: Some sad news to report. Because of compounding school and life commitments, Jeremy (J-Bar) will be stepping down as co-House DJ of the Firehouse in 3 weeks. He's been a popular local swing DJ over the past 4 years, but it's now time for him to move on and go forward with his busy life. So stop on by the Firehouse over the next 3 Thursdays and hear J-Bar spin some of the tunes that first inspired him to swing dance: Thurs. June 23 -- Piano Pandemonium with great jazz pianists from Fats Waller to Fats Domino Thurs. June 30 -- Clarinets Collide with Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman Thurs. July 7th -- Bandleader Bonanza with Count Basie and Duke Ellington Come dance to some great swing classics with J-Bar while you have the chance! ***** Firehouse, Thurs. Jun. 23, 9:00p-12:00a. Int. Lindy: 7-8p. Beg. Lindy: 8-9p. J-Bar spins from 10p-11:30p. $10/class drop-in, $7/dance, $15/whole evening. All ages are welcome. Questions: Call 858-395-6060. For more info/directions to the Firehouse, visit: http://www.cafesavoy.com/firehouse.html |
| By Yedancer (Yedancer) on Thursday, June 23, 2005 - 04:45 pm: Edit |
Thanks everyone! Man, as I'm going through my music finding stuff for tonight, it still amazes me how much stuff I have that I've never (or rarely) played, and how GOOD it is. I can't wait to play some awesome stuff tonight. |
| By Susant (Susant) on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 12:12 am: Edit |
And so you did! Jeremy did a fantastic job of taking us from early stuff to later music back to early. That music kept a smile on my face all night...just an awesome mix, and the floor was packed the entire time!! Thanks Jeremy, Brian, and Meeshi for a great night of swing dancing! |
| By Alicat (Alicat) on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 01:29 am: Edit |
Tonight was so much fun! I'm on such a lindy high I don't think I'll be able to sleep for awhile =) Thank you Jeremy for a perfect night of music, it kept a smile on my face all night too! and thank you leads for the amazing dances, you guys rock! |
| By Jeff (Jeff) on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 03:16 am: Edit |
Yeah. Like I told Jeremy at the Firehouse, some of the best djing I've heard ever. He prepared and we benefited. And I personally love the narration and the bit of history of the music/artist inbetween tunes. Makes each song that much more enjoy enjoyable. Great job. And of course, Brian's always amazing in his song selection and timing. It was a great night. |
| By Meeshi (Meeshi) on Friday, June 24, 2005 - 12:25 pm: Edit |
Yeah, Jeremy, I really liked how you went forward then backward in jazz chronology. When you brought it back at the end to some early Duke, it felt like coming home again from a fun vacation trip. |
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