Squirrel Nut Zippers

at T.T. the Bears
by Clarendon Lavorich

“Yeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaa!” The screams came from everywhere as the Squirrel Nut Zippers pumped out the Dixieland swing. Whiskey Sour in one hand, pretty girl in the other, twirling and spinning the night away to the uptown jump beat. The floor was packed. Obviously, it being so cold, no one was dancing. No one, except for the intrepid souls in the dark corners, pulling all the tricks from their Jitterbug handbooks. When you’ve got a 7-piece band up there, complete with banjo, trumpet and sax, there’s no way not to burst into a smile. On top of that, add a voice that could be a ’90s Billie Holiday if she was singing in the ’20s, as well as some good ol’ stomping music, and you’ve got yourselves a party. They played almost everything from their album, The Inevitable…, even my favorite (as an encore), “Lover’s Lane.” Ahh, yes. “Broadway really ain’t quite the same/since you and I found each other on Lover’s Lane.” My girlie and I spun, twisted, ducked and laughed the night away, nodding at their sage wisdom, “Let the suits pick up the tab!” I just wish more people knew how to dance to this stuff. There’s nothing like seeing an entire dance floor of people two-stepping their hearts out to old time swing music. It’s classy, too. So take those lessons, put on your best dress and tux, and go out there and dance!