Happy holidays to all of the great dancers who have come to BSC this year! Tonight our DJs will be spreading the holiday cheer by spinning the best of their holiday collections for you. Come shake off the frost (it’s getting colder, after all) and join us for one the last Friday night dance of 2013! What is better than sharing the gift of a dance with someone?

Since there is no dance next week, don’t forget to register for our New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala if you haven’t already and are planning on attending. It’s a hot ticket item!

Also don’t forget that Kind of a Big Deal weekend is a little over a month away and if it’s anything like last year, it will sell out! Early bird pricing expires on December 26th.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Frank Hsieh and the Beantown Swing Orchestra will be joining us yet again to share their gift of swinging big band tunes! The Beantown Swing Orchestra is known for filling the Whistle Stop with big sound that inspire great, memorable dances. The band knows many of the tunes from the early century swing era and also adds their own flair to their performances by adding in some original arrangements! And since the holidays are fast approaching, don’t be surprised if a few holiday tunes make it onto the set list.

As usual, the BSO will have some of its well known and talented vocalists along with them!

Check out the below video for their version of Jimmie Lunceford’s “Tain’t What You Do” and see just how fun dancing to the Beantown Swing Orchestra is!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan & the Easy Winners return to the Whistle Stop after a crowd-inspiring performance back in October. They were so good, we had to have them back right away! With their New Orleans inspired hot jazz tunes, they will get you out onto the floor all night! The Easy Winners always get the crowd moving when they play for us and and this Friday will be no exception! Digging deep into their catalog of hits from the past, they’ll light fire to tunes like the 1921 Eddie Cantor hit: “Margie” and Louis Armstrong’s “You Rascal You”.

Here are the Easy Winners back in March, with a rousing version of “Everybody Loves My Baby”:

Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gobble, gobble, gobble! As you emerge from your turkey (or tofurkey, if that’s how you swing), head on over to the Whistle Stop for a Thanksgiving dance party!

Join a special guest DJ (or two) and spin, turn, Charleston, and swingout the previous night’s cornucopia of Thanksgiving treats! We look forward to hosting those who stayed local as well as special out of town visitors at this week’s dance!

Believe it or not, the Turkey Trot was a dance way back in the day! See it in action in this old movie clip and try out replicating it:

Lesson (included in the price of admission):
8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am

General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We’re really excited to welcome back all 14 members of White Heat Swing Orchestra lead by Craig Ball on clarinet. This is one of the best big bands in the Boston area, and they’re exciting charts include the explosive hits of an era long gone. Check ’em out here, tearing it up with “Digi Digi Doo”…

We also recommend you check out their webpage here: here and listen to what we are sure will make you dance around the room in preparation for a fun night ahead!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9pm-midnight
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Jessy Carolina & The Hot Mess is a New York City based ensemble specializing in American music from the late 1800’s-1930’s, primarily jazz and blues reminiscent of The Ziegfield Follies, The Great American Song Book, and early medicine shows. Led by Jessy’s unique talent for playing the washboard, the group is rounded out with the Hot Mess, which comprises of piano, banjo, guitar, woodwinds, and brass.

Despite its name, Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess are far from sounding like one. Maybe they should try Jessy Carolina & the Hot Jazz. Either way, be sure to come out tonight to decide for yourself! If you can’t wait until the 8th, check out this clip from their last gig at the Whistle Stop back in May.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8pm – 9pm
Dancing: 9pm – midnight
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Emily Asher and her group of all star musicians, the Garden Party, bring their style of red hot trad jazz back to the Whistle Stop in November. While Emily and her sassy style of trombone playing may look familiar from her many other appearances at the Whistle Stop with the likes of Baby Soda and others, leading the Garden Party brings out the best in Asher, whose vocals and trombone take front and center in this ensemble.

Check out their version of “My Blue Heaven” at the Whistle Stop from back in February.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Calling All Zombies! It’s time to heed the bell toll for another ghastly, ghoulish and grim Halloween party at Boston Swing Central. It’s our 6th year and this time we’re making it a super double-billed late night zombies Halloween!!! We’ve got two bands tonight, first 3 sets will be the Baby Soda Jazz Band followed by a late evening set by the Shawn Hershey Band.
So we’ve got a trick and treat for you this year! Be ready to stay out ghoulishly late for Shawn’s special set which features Amy Kucharik on vocals and Mike Valdez on piano.

Check out the Baby Soda Jazz Band swinging it up a notch with their version “Everybody Loves My Baby” from last year:

Here’s a great clip of Shawn & the Fried Bananas swinging the blues…

If you want to get a taste of what a Thriller performance looks like, as well as how much fun we have doing it, check out last year’s performance:

Extended Lesson Time (included in the price of admission): 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm – 2:00am
General Admission: $22
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Get $2 OFF ADMISSION if you come in costume. But no lame costumes like, “I came as a swing dancer”, or “I came as myself” or putting a couple socks on your shoulder and being “static cling”. Discount is at the discretion of the door staff, so put in some effort!

No coupons or passes will be accepted for this evening.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan & the Easy Winners make a triumphant return to the Whistle Stop with their New Orleans inspired hot jazz tunes that will get you out onto the floor all night! The Easy Winners always get the crowd moving when they play for us and and this Friday will be no exception! digging deep into their catalog of hits from the past, they’ll light fire to tunes like the 1921 Eddie Cantor hit: “Margie” and Louis Armstrong’s “You Rascal You”.

Here are the Easy Winners back in March, with a rousing version of Louis Armstrong’s “You Rascal You”:

Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Grand St Stompers are a delightful jazz band from Brooklyn led by Gordon Au. Their New Orleans meets New York sound has quickly become a BSC favorite and we welcome them back on October 18th for another night of hot jazz and dancing.

Here they are performing “Crazy Rhythm” at the Whistle Stop last year:

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

It is Columbus Day weekend and it’s safe to say that fall is now in full force! Come out and join us for another joyful night of dancing. The bands are taking a break this week but the fun isn’t as our DJs have a lively selection of songs put together to keep you out on the floor all night long!

Lesson (included with admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students & Seniors: $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Swing Legacy, a six piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991 and BSC since the beginning, playing with style and informed of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hop and swing dancing. Much of their great catalog of songs showcases their phenomenal singer, Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of killer-diller arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Here they are playing “Roll ’em Pete” at the Whistle Stop…

Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Come join us Sunday night back at the Whistle Stop for one last night of dancing to close out a fun-filled weekend at Dirty Water. Your favorite DJs will be playing a variety of songs for us to dance to and bid a fond farewell to our out of town friends. Until 2014…

No Lesson tonight
Dancing: 8:00pm – Midnight
General Admission: $10
Students & Seniors: $8

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

With some of the most beautiful views of downtown Boston, Piers Park is a hidden gem of a park in East Boston that we love to swing out in. Come join your friends, new and old, for our annual Dirty Water Sunday afternoon outdoor dance on the harbor with tunes spun courtesy of DJ RetroMike. Since we will be dancing right on the water and it is autumn, we recommend that you bring a jacket with you.

Dancing: 2:30pm-5:00pm
FREE!

Piers Park
95 Marginal Street
East Boston, MA 02128

Take the Blue Line to Maverick
Free parking

After dancing a blue streak in celebration of Gordon’s CD release, head down the highway down to Cambridge for another bluesy late night, co-hosted by Blues Cafe, featuring Jesse Selengut & Tin Pan with special guest Gordon Webster

Jesse is most well known for his trumpet playing alongside Gordon Webster, but for this late night, he and his Tin Pan Band take center stage for another special late night event.

Dancing: 1:15pm – 4:30am
General Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Extreme Dancesport
26 New Street
Suite 3
Cambridge, MA 02138

The Dirty Water party continues with Mona’s Hot Four + 3 playing a late night for us. Expect things to slow down for the evening into the early hours of the morning at our late night venue.

Dancing: 1:15pm – 4:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

Sorry no passes or coupons accepted during the exchange.

Extreme Dancesport
26 New Street
Suite 3
Cambridge, MA 02138

Boston Swing Central is excited to be hosting our third New Year’s Eve Gala in the style of the famous Great Gatsby. We’ve got a great band playing, they played once back for us in April and blew us away with their enthusiasm…this is going to be an exciting New Year’s and our third Great Gatsby Gala…get your tickets today (see below) and stop worrying about where you’re going to be on Dec 31st…you’re going to be with us at the Crosby Whistle Stop!

2013 will also see the release of a new Great Gatsby movie (see the trailer below), directed by Baz Luhrmann, who did the awesome Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge….so that is something to look forward to! As with all Baz Luhrman movies, they can only be described as fantastical!

What is the New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala?…a swing dance party harking back to the roaring 20s!   Vintage black tie dress-up encouraged (but not required)…Charleston and Black Bottom were the dances of the day…There will be a midnight toast (non-alcoholic – true to the prohibition era)…and to top it all off, we’ll have the Recessionals Jazz Band from Brooklyn to provide the soundtrack to ring in 2013.

Tickets available at the door tonight: $30 General admission/ $25 Students and Seniors.

Boston Swing Central at the Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129
Admission: See Above
Time: 8-9pm lesson, General dancing from 9pm to at least 12:30am.

So it’s Monday morning, and you’re standing at the coffee machine talking to your work buddy.  “What did you do for New Year’s?”  You went swing dancing!!!  You’re so excited, and you want your friends to come too!  But inevitably, no matter how many times you ask them, something always come up…I’ve got this date with a guy I met on OkCupid.  He’s got his head buried in his iPhone, but his picture looks cute…I’ve got to catch up on Glee!…. I’m too tired after the work week……  Blah blah blah.  Help them fulfill that New Year’s Resolution to do more fun things, to exercise more, to be more social…to swing dance!

We know how hard it is to get your friends on the dance floor – we’ve all been there.  And for those of you that can weed through all of those excuses and get someone new to our dance, you’re finally getting rewarded!  Help your friends make that New Year’s resolution come true!

For this night and for this night only, if you bring a friend that has NEVER been to our dance, you (the hard working, dedicated, good looking, suave dancer) get in FREE!

And not only do we have a special promotion, but we’ve got Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade straight outta Brooklyn. Miss Tess brings her sultry voice and swingin’ guitar to the Whistle Stop. Her catchy repertoire should get your friends toe-tapping and wanting to dance! What could be a better experience to start folks off right (on the right foot..tee hee) in their dancing careers? Start working on you friends NOW!

Promotion Qualifying Details:

1)      In order to get free admission when bringing a friend, you (the dancer) needs to have attended at least one BSC Dance prior to January 13, 2012.  Your friend must have NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN ONCE been to a BSC dance.  How will we know?  Oh, we’ll know!

2)      You must get there with your friend BEFORE 8:10PM so they can take our beginning lesson that starts at 8PM. We will be strict about this!

3)      If you bring a friend and you have also NEVER been to our dance, you DO NOT qualify for the discount. (Hey these are our rules and it’s not two new people for the price of one.)

4)      The person must be your friend and of the homo sapiens species.  Imaginary friends, Lassie, ET, pet rocks, etc. do not qualify.

5)      You must mention this promotion at the door when paying admission to receive it.  You can’t come back later and ask for it if you forget (if ya snooze, ya lose).

6)      Who gets in free?  Well that’s up to you…and how good of a friend you are.  Show up with a friend and only one admission has to be paid (buy one, get one free).  How you settle up is at your discretion, but please resolve any disputes by peaceful means (i.e. thumb wrestling, drawing straws, and dance offs).

7)      May not be combined with any other promotions or discounts(i.e. get in free or half off coupons/passes, discounts received for angeling or DJ’ing, etc.  Board Members do not qualify.)

8)      If you get caught gaming the system, you may be subject to the consequences thought up on the spot by BSC staff.  May include but are not limited to the following activities with your new “friend”:  wearing matching ski sweaters throughout the entire dance,  doing a Charleston duet to “You Can’t Touch This” to be posted on YouTube, dancing in your bare feet.

New people coming by yourselves or with other people are still of course welcome!  And what a great night to come out with lots of other new people.  We’re sorry you won’t qualify this time, but if we run this again in the coming months, and you attend our event this Friday, you will qualify for next time!  

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

It’s January, and hopefully you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to dance more! Yes, that’s the ticket! Dance more=be more happy, right? So it’s now time to hunker down and get some great dancing in and reconnect with all our friends.

Our 2012 schedule starts off with a local favorite: Shawn Hershey Quintet. With the heart of a true Lindy Hopper, Shawn knows what kind of swing music that we really like. So get excited.

This night kick things off for what promises to be another GREAT year at the Crosby Whistle Stop. 2012 will bring us Meschiya Lake with Gordon Webster, the Red Hook Ramblers at our Valentine’s Day Dance, our 2nd Dirty Water Lindy Exchange, the Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, Calling All Zombies 5…and so many other great moments to look forward to!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Yee Haw! Odessa Rose brings Western Swing back to Boston Swing Central. It’s almost the end of a great summer (*sniffle*) and we’re excited for some energetic fiddle-banjo-guitar playing and their down home back porch swing.

Just in case you are unfamiliar with what Western Swing is, don’t worry, it’s got nothing to do with West Coast Swing…it is the 1940s Texas interpretation of what Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie were doing at the time. Basically, cats like Spade Cooley and Bob Wills felt that if the Duke and the Count could swing, so could they. Except they had pedal steel guitars instead of large horn sections. With the Country and Western instrumentation in place, they played hot jazz country-fried, and country songs hot jazz-style and Western Swing as a genre of music was born. We highly recommend you check out this blog to get more information on Western Swing…ahh haa!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is excited to be offering a weekend “crash course” workshop for 2.5 hours on Sunday May 1st, 1pm-3:30pm. Perhaps you haven’t had time to take some Lindy Lessons during the week or maybe you always wanted to try Lindy Hop but were a little bit afraid, fear no more…We’re going to break it all down for you in simple easy steps. In this hands-on, intensive workshop we will start with Lindy Hop basics and progress to some partner Charleston moves to give you a little bit of flash on the floor.

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central welcomes back, local Diva extraordinaire, Toni Lynn Washington. Toni Lynn rocked the the Crosby Whistle Stop on several occasions last year.   And we are looking forward to her hearing her soulful voice and her deep grooves this Friday. She is a local legend, an institution, a master, a treasure, and the hottest blues diva in New England!  Not to be missed!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is happy to welcome back Jake, Tamar and the rest of the Cangelosi Cards for their first gig in Boston in a long time. If you have not seen them, it’s because they’ve been in such high demand all over the World, mostly in Europe and China. But when they’re not globe hopping, they’re holed up in the denizens of Manhattan and Brooklyn where they live. Their old timey take on Hot Jazz, melds the Django influences with street blues into a pure Americana…dust bowl-era swing. Pure indeed, Tamar’s voice will entrance you and take you to the moon and back…

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to this fabulous group check out their website here.
Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is very excited for one of our most beloved dances of the year!  I >heart< Swing (our 3rd year), featuring our super-cool custom-made Valentines, and our Cupids to deliver them to you! And as our musical guests, this year we have the full White Heat Swing Orchestra, all 14 pieces featuring band leader Craig Ball on clarinet. This night will be guaranteed to be in our memories for a long time as it’s our first Valentine’s Day at the Whistle Stop, so dress to impress and put on some red and pink and get ready to send your friends and secret crushes some Valentines…

If you are not familiar with the tunes you’ll be dancing to at the fabulous event. Go here and listen to what we are sure will make you dance around the room in preparation for a fun night ahead!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is proud to present The Boilermaker Jazz Band, Pittsburgh’s finest and one of the premier swing bands in the country. We’ve been spoiled lately with the amount of talent coming through our doors and the Boilermaker Jazz Band continues our awesome Winter run…you don’t want to miss this. Boston usually only gets the Boilermaker’s once a year, if that! This band knows how to swing and has been wowing audiences all over the country at the biggest events with their Hot Jazz revelry!

If you are unfamiliar with their music check their website for tunes that will be sure to make this event a night you are anxiously anticipating… http://www.boilermakerjazzband.com/music.php

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $20
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

Please note that we will be accepting passes at the rate of: 1/2 off for one pass, full admission for two passes.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129