I’ve been thinking about writing this for a while, and based on a recent discussion on Facebook, I figured I should go ahead and do this.
First off, I will say I see it thrown around a lot that a given scene or venue or event is more or less welcoming. I’m not really convinced that it is an inherent trait of a scene so much as something very malleable. Over the past 2 years, I have, on various nights at our Thursday night dance, received comments that people felt like it was the most welcoming dance they had ever been to but also seen people walk out within 20-30 minutes having barely danced or engaged with anyone at all. I think the experience can be awfully subjective and all one can really do is try to improve on the overall experience.
Hello, everyone, I’m back! I know it’s been a while, and I’m sorry for that.
Truth be told, I fell into a but of a dance slump. I didn’t feel like going out, I didn’t have the motivation to get out and just do it. I’m going to place part of the blame on the fact that it takes so much effort for me to just get to the dancing. 45 minutes one way is kind of a hike. Plus another 45 minutes to get home; all on a night when I have to be up early for work the next morning. I know, I know, woe is me. But it really takes some effort and makes waking up the next morning difficult, and I had reached a point where I didn’t want to make that sacrifice of time and effort.
I also graduate college, moved across the state, started a new job, quit said job, started another new job and am preparing to move again. That’s quite a lot to happen in a very short span of time. And on top that, I left the only dance scene I had really ever know. Sure, when people ask, I tell them I’m from Cincinnati, but I have never spent any real time dancing here. Athens has been my dance home since I first set foot on a dance floor.
If I sound like I’m complaining, I’m don’t mean to. I only want to give you some context as to why I dropped of the face of dancing earth.
But I have had one seriously exciting development that has sparked a fire in me. I joined a choir. For those of you who know me, that is less than surprising. But for those of you who don’t know me, just know that I love to sing. I do it in the shower, in the car, when I’m home alone (even when I’m not, I don’t really care).
How does this relate to my dancing, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.
The long and short of it is: I love music. I love being involved in every part of it; from making it to moving to it. I’ve even written it (Once. In high school. It was awful. Don’t ask.). But joining this choir has put me back in the position of being immersed in music from all angles.
I see it like constructing a house. At the foundation are the notes on the staff, the time signatures, the key. You know, the real nitty-gritty of it all. The structure is the song you get, the sound you make when you tie all of those things together. It’s belting it out Broadway style or getting in the groove with a saxophone, the part everyone sees and what they tend to remember most. But what really polishes it all off and makes it something remarkable is dance. It’s the paint on the walls and decorations you choose. This is what makes my music my own. It turns a house into a home.
Without any one of these things, I’m not complete. There is something so powerful about owning something so fully. The music I make is something that is truly mine and something that no one can take away.
The moral of the story is, I found the spark I needed to rekindle my passion to dance.
So while I’m still living 45 minutes away, working even further away, and I’m exhausted the next morning, I’m going to dance more. I mean it. I’m back.
I’ve run across the occasional upturned nose at a dance because I’m not a professional dancer. I’ve even been that upturned nose from time to time, but after having been in a place where I had to work hard to grow my dance scene and where that dance scene was mostly beginners, I learned that there’s no need to be picky about who you dance with. There is something fun and new and exciting in every dance, you just have to look for it.
This lovely lady makes some interesting points in this post, so I hope you all take a read.
In my last post Market Segmentation for Swing Dancing I promised I would write a future post going into a few venues and events that I think are good examples of businesses that have properly segmented their market.
Atomic Ballroom
Located in Southern California, Atomic Ballroom clearly defines it’s market segment in it’s mission statement on their website,
ATOMIC Ballroom’s mission is to create a dance community of all ages in Orange County by providing affordable, high-quality social dance instruction and events, where people will feel welcome and safe to learn the skill of dancing and to socialize with others who also value that skill.
It’s easy to infer from that statement that they have created a segment of individuals who prefer a family friendly and welcoming atmosphere in the Orange County area. This is important because they have zeroed in on a reasonable geographic location to draw their customer base for a local venue. In addition…
There are few things I like better than discovering new music. And, even though my dancing has taken a bit of a backseat lately, I’ve been digging around for new music to DJ. And me being the broke college kid (or college grad, now) that I am, the one thing I like better than new music is cheap new music.
I’ve found some pretty amazing resources in my quest for new music. I’ve compiled a list of my favourite resources.
1) Your local public library. Seriously. Can you say free music? Free is my favourite part, someone purchased the CD, so the artist still gets the profits, which is wonderful. But there’s usually a great selection from some of the more famous artists, like Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman and Etta James. If your local branch doesn’t have much in the way of music (like mine), pop on down to the main branch, they’ll have a better selection.
2) CDbaby.com– There’s a great selection of jazz music here (and plenty of other music, too) by some less well-known artists. What I like about this site is the ability to preview and purchase each song individually, that way you can pick and choose the ones you want. I also love the way they divide into endless subgenres.
3) Bandcamp.com– Bandcamp isn’t the best place to find jazz and swing music, but the site hosts some great indie bands and soundtracks (i.e. A Very Potter Musical (if you haven’t watched this, do it now)). There’s also this nice feature that gives artists the option to let consumers name their own price.
4) Noisetrade.com– this site is great because you can “tip” the artists. They suggest a price, but you can raise or lower it , depending on how you’re feeling. They’ve got a decent selection of swing/jazz/blues and I’m a particular fan of their folk and country sections.
5) Jazz-on-line.com– this is a great place to get free music from the 20s up through the 50s, just don’t go looking for the greatest hits selections. If you’re looking for lesser-known songs by famous artists like Cab Calloway, you’re golden. The other downside to this site is the inability to preview songs before you download them. With music this old, you can never be too certain of the quality of the recording. You’ve been warned.
6) iTunes, Spotify, Amazon– of course, these are pretty standard and don’t always have the lowest prices. But iTunes does a “Free Single of the Week” and I’ve scored a couple of good dance tunes there. You have to check it regularly, and not all of the music is good, but you can end up with some real gems this way.
7) Artists’ Websites many times, artists will give you a free download for visiting their site or signing up for their email list. I know we all get enough email, but you can always unsubscribe later. But there’s no better way to keep track of the artists you like than having them email you!
Now, I know acquiring a vast music collection is an expensive endeavor, but please, please, please NEVER pirate your music. The quality can be shoddy, files can go missing and worst of all, the musicians don’t get paid. Music is how these people make their living and pirating their music is no better than stealing.
In the midst of the scramble to register, there is one other super-duper important thing to think about; your roommates.
You might not believe me, but it’s true. Roommates can make or break an event like this. A week in a hotel is a long time when you’re stuck with someone you don’t like.
But fear not! I’m here to give you a few things to think about before you go choosing roommates all willy-nilly.
The first you’ve got to know about Lindy Focus is that your hotel room is basically just a place for you to store you stuff and sleep. You won’t be spending a ton of time there, there are simply too many other things to do. So, bearing that in mind, you don’t necessarily need to fill the room with your best friends.
The first step in the roommate-selection process is knowing what you want. There are going to be things that you are willing to compromise on and things that you absolutely have to have (or not have). What are they? Do you like the room cold when you sleep? Are you a light sleeper? Do you like to stay up late?
Things you shouldn’t have to (or can’t) compromise on: 1) the gender of the people in your room, some times people are downright uncomfortable sleeping in a room with the opposite sex. 2) Perfume. If you’re like me, you can have a hard time handling things like body spray and perfume. My nose goes haywire and starts sneezing and that makes for a crappy day. So I make sure I don’t stay with any middle school boys and their Axe. 3) how you sleep. It’s nigh impossible to control where you move while you sleep, so if you’re prone to “lobserting” or the flailing of arms and legs during sleep, then you either need to find someone who’s ok with having your body parts in their personal space or volunteer to sleep on the floor. It sucks for two people to get no sleep.
The absolute key to getting along with your roommates no matter what is just to be courteous. If you wouldn’t want someone traipsing around at 6am throwing clothes out of their suitcase while you’re trying to sleep, then don’t do it to someone else.
This is what I find important roommate-wise, but I’m sure there some stuff that I’m missing. So, what is most important to you in a roommate? What makes for an ideal stay?
Salutations fiends! I was lucky enough to get to talk to Craig Gildner of the one and only Blue Sky 5. We love him here in Cincinnati and he’s agreed to answer some questions for me. We cover everything from musical inspiration to how he fills his spare time. Believe it or not, he has some non-music-related hobbies. We even talk about how the band got its name (which isn’t as jazzy as you might think).
Who is your biggest musical inspiration?
I have many influences and inspirations that are at the heart of this music I perform with my band. But first and foremost would be Duke Ellington. Several reasons. He led a successful and popular band for nearly five decades, took a unique approach to playing the piano, and wrote incredible, timeless music, either alone or collaborating with Billy Strayhorn. The best part about all this is that he stayed true to his principles and goals for the band. Tastes came and went, but Duke was still Duke.
What made you want to get into swing and jazz music?
Swing and big band was always in the Gildner house growing up. Dad loved Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. I was given 50 or so 78rpm records when I was three featuring artists like Count Basie, Les Brown, and Harry James. I spent time as a disk jockey in the mid to late 80’s at a public radio station that spun nothing but jazz: big band, bebop, post bop, fusion, bossa nova. So growing up, the music was always around…on recordings and at festivals. But the real turning point came when I had a chance to play with the Tom Cunningham Orchestra as pianist from 1993-94. I discovered that people still dance to this music, for up to three hours sans air conditioning, thank you very much, and have a ball.
What instruments do you play/how long have you played them?
Piano, my first love, has been my instrument for 38 years. Guitar for 34. Cornet in earnest for about 7. I’d played in school band, but not anything resembling good…or swing for that matter. I found an unloved Buescher Aristocrat cornet made in my hometown the year I was born for $35 dollars in 2005. I thought, “I’m from the band instrument capital of the world. I should know how to play horn, dammit!”
When did Blue Sky 5 form and how? Have you been involved with any other bands?
Our first gig was April Fools Day of 2000, but the groundwork was established in 1999, when my bandmate Tommy Greco and I, after rejoining Tom Cunningham and riding the crest of the DC Swing Dance wave, decided a small group for Lindy Hoppers playing an authentic repertoire would do well in this climate. And we were right! Since then, I’ve had the great fortune and opportunity to meet and play with wonderful musicians in the swing scene: Jonathan Stout, Brooks Tegler, The Midiri Brothers, Bill Elliott, Casey MacGill, Paul Cosentino of the Boilermakers, Doc Scantlin, Linnzi Zaorski and Delta Royale, and Glenn Crytzer.
As of 2013, I lead four other early jazz and swing related groups. The Craig Gildner Big Band, playing great arrangements with an authentic rhythm section, and The Craig Gildner Trio, much in the style of the Goodman trio of the 30’s are the newest organizations. My trouble is, I love all of the styles of jazz created in the first half of the 20th century, and I keep running into musicians who love it too! Inevitably, a band happens.
Do you have a favourite city/venue to perform in?
DC, our home base, is always a pleasure. We’ve made good friends with the promoters here. Great places to play, and enthusiastic crowds. Philadelphia was great back in 2003-4. Loved the energy and enthusiasm, plus great vintage shopping the day after. Midsummer Night Swing in NYC was ground breaking! Recently, Ohio is starting to give us some serious love. I took the trio for a weekend road show at the end of June, through Cincinnati and Cleveland. The response was overwhelming! The full band has played for several CincLX events. Always lots of folks out dancing, always an encore at the end of the evening. And, as a fan of Cincinnati style chili, I can’t wait till the next trip when I can stop in a Gold Star or Skyline restaurant and order a plate of four way meat water…chili with beans and cheese over spaghetti. Yowza!
Do you have a pre-performance ritual or habit?
Not really. To be honest, every gig is different. I’m usually preoccupied with the sound system, setting up my instruments, going through a sound check. I may bust into a Fats Waller or similar stride piece to get the hands working, or run through a Charlie Christian riff at that time, but never a set thing. Back in 2002, I used to use a Bach etude on a beat up piece of copy paper that had my hands working independently on the keys. Then I lost it on some gig. The guys in the band were razzing me about it. I guess it was more piano recital material…and though it was a good workout, there’s not much crossover unless we were playing full on bebop with single note runs…which of course is not in our repertoire. The thing I am starting to do on gigs though is consciously reminding myself to relax my hands and arms. Especially in the flag waver tunes like Avalon, with tempos well above 230bpm. There’s a natural tendency to dig in. But at that speed my hands become fixed claws if I don’t remember to relax. It’s much like when my wife and I took a Lindy Hop class for advanced tempos and we learned how to relax before attempting the streamlined moves. If you’re all keyed up about staying in time, then chances are you’ll lose the beat and drag.
What do you do when you’re not playing?
Well, I have a recording studio in Bethesda where I do voice over and post production work. Some of the smaller group’s recordings are made there. Just like not knowing when to say ‘when’ with the bands, I have way too many hobbies. I’m an old car enthusiast/owner, I collect vintage clothing from the 20s-40’s, 78rpm records, radios, phonographs, 16mm, Super 8 and 8mm motion picture film and equipment and musical instruments. And once those have completely exhausted me, I usually remember I’m a dad and husband, with the usual and customary duties of dinner procurement, homework assistance, story reading, trash removal and grounds keeping. Ha!
How did you come up with the name Blue Sky 5?
There’s a tendency among fans and friends of the band to believe that it was derived from Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies”. And I’d like to believe that. But reality gets in the way of a good story. 13th hour. Late night Baltimore March of 2000. Tom Koerner needs a name for the band to start promoting it at upcoming dances. My initial suggestion, Groove Juice Special, was flagged for its inability to roll of the tongue nicely. Pacing back and forth in the den of my apartment. Nothing’s coming. I glance at my CD rack, and my eyes hone in on the title of an album by an alt rock band from Australia that was big for a fleeting moment in the late 80’s, Midnight Oil-Blue Sky Mining. A HA! And then a number. We have five in the band. Blue Sky 5. Boom. Done. There’s actually been a slight change lately. It’s now Craig Gildner and The Blue Sky 5. Years of experience have brought about this update. We added a permanent clarinet to the lineup. This eliminates the inevitable remark from the lone wise guy in the audience when the clarinet was an added attraction: “The sign says Blue Sky 5 but there are six of you? Can you count?” (Yuk yuk yuk yuk. Boy that’s funny, are you here all night??) Also, having played various dances and dance events as a guest with other bands, the fans of swing music may know me, but not know that Blue Sky 5 is my band. That link is now crystal clear.
I hope you all enjoyed the Q & A with Craig Gildner. You can check out Blue Sky 5’s albums here. Support a great musician and a wonderful band and help keep all of our lovely swing bands doing what we all love.
There are two words in the swing-dom that can send a shiver of excitement through a room: Lindy Focus. And there’s good news for those of you who know what those two words mean. Registration is open. That’s right. Go sign up now!
But for some of you who are new to the world of swing, you might be wondering what this is and why it’s such a big deal.
Jam circle
Let me try to explain. Have you ever dreamed about what it would be like to be on a movie set with Chris Hemsworth, George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone all at the same time and they all tell you they want to be your best friend and you get the starring role in the film and the film is being talked about in the Oscar pool… Ok you get the idea, basically it’s a dream come true.
Lindy Focus is a lot like that. Basically, it’s a week of intensive workshops with some of the best swing and blues dance instructors in the world. But it’s much more than that. Let me start at the beginning.
So, you’ve organized a carpool and you’ve got your roommates and you’re feeling like a kid on Christmas. Literally. Because Lindy Focus starts the day after Christmas. Best. Christmas present. Ever.
After the hours long car ride to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, you come up the final hill and the sprawling Crowne Plaza hotel opens its arms to greet you. You check in and dump your stuff in your room and run off to go explore. As you whittle away the hours until the first bit of dancing, you marvel at how big the swing dance community is. It’s really a worldwide phenomenon.
Then the dancing starts. You dance song after song and not one of them is awkward. Everyone you dance with is wonderful. You’re up until the last of the bluesers at the late night trickle off. You finally make your way back to your room and fall into bed, completely exhausted but at peace with the world. You could die happy now.
Happy Birthday, Maggie!
But wait! There’s more….
The next morning you audition for placement in your Lindy Hop track. Levels 3-9 require an audition. But don’t fret. It’s not this terrible fiery ordeal and the judges are normal people, just like you and me. So breathe and just dance. Waiting for your results has you quivering with antici………………….pation.
Finally, you get your level and you can settle in. Or you can appeal and try to get a higher level, that’s cool too. But for the most part, the judges are pretty dead on.
For the next week, the best of the best fill you with their vast and mighty knowledge of all things jazz, swing and dance. It’s a lot to take in, so I definitely recommend bringing a notebook to take notes in. A sad mistake I made last year was not having one and it made practicing rather difficult.
Live music at Lindy Focus
At the first official evening dance, you get to hear the first strains of the live music. Last year’s choices included Ben Polcer and Paul Constentino of Boilermakers fame.
But holy goodness, the best is still yet to come: Instructor Showcase.
Let me tell you, I don’t think I have ever nerded so hard about dancing in my life. By the time all of them were done dancing, I was pretty much in a puddle on the floor because of so much awesome. And don’t even get me started on the competitions. It’s just too much for words.
There was one thing I wish I had known about when I went to LF last year. No one told there was going to be a New Year’s Even Show. Although, maybe it was a good thing I didn’t know about it. I might have actually exploded with impatience.
From “New Orleans Bump” Lindy Focus XI New Years Eve Show
Well, I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises that await in Lindy Focus Land, so I’ll stop here. But you should all know that this is such an exciting event and there is so much to look forward to.
This is only the very tippy top of a ginormous iceberg
For those of you have already been to LF, what was your favourite part? And for those of you who haven’t been yet, what is it you’re most looking forward to?
Generation: Swing 
