The Swingers Ball 16: The Masquerade Ball - Live Music, Swing Dancing, And More!

      

Big Tyme Presents

The Swingers Ball 16 - The Masquerade Ball

At The Famed Willowbrook Ballroom - Saturday, March 30 

  (Willow Springs, Illinois) - Big Tyme presents The Swingers Ball 16 - The Masquerade Ball, featuring live swing music and ballroom dancing (with Detroit's dynamic Swing Shift Orchestra) along with one of Chicago's finest blues groups  (blues-rock heavies Head Honchos'), at the Willowbrook Ballroom, 8900 S. Archer Ave., Willow Springs, Saturday, March 30. The evening also features a Best Masquerade Mask contest. Doors open 7 p.m. $25. (purchase tickets at the door) Info: http://www.swingersballinfo.com/.

The Swing Shift Orchestra started in 1993 as a result of a stage band comprised of members belonging to The Grosse Pointe Community Concert Band. While the band has had changes in membership, leaders, and rehearsal sites, saxophonist Lynne Henry continues to own and manage the band. Venues include concerts, parties, balls, weddings, and theme shows. Over the years, the band's bookings have increased dramatically. The focus of The Swing Shift Orchestra has always been to keep the nostalgic sounds of the Big Bands alive. The dedicated musicians attend weekly rehearsals to keep improving and recreating the ensemble sound of the Big Band legends.  The goal of the band is to bring the joy, harmonies, and fullness of this wonderful music to people of all ages. The Swing Shift Orchestra aims to make every event happy and fun with live, authentic performances of Big Band music. swingshiftorchestra.org/.

In a time when American music is too often characterized by emasculated melodies, narcissistic lyrics, and hyped mediocrity-- Head Honchos' offer up intense body-moving 

rhythms and emotionally-charged guitar expressions on their debut seven-song, self-titled CD. Grounded on the foundations of American blues, rock, soul, and funk, Head Honchos' launch their improvisational excursions with an irresistible invitation to kick back, let go, and enthusiastically ENJOY!!! Head Honchos' CD contains some quickly-memorable originals ("Lucky's Train," "Whiskey Devil," "Good Love," "That Driving Beat") as well as sizzling interpretations of classics such as Albert King's "Going Down," "Fire On The Bayou" by Aaron Neville, and Wilson Pickett's "99 1/2 Won't Do." Front person Rocco Calipari's Detroit-schooled vocals will leave no doubt of the unapologetic American identity we all experience. In an artistic celebration of our shared pride and joy, Head Honchos' cover some of our most loved standards, while introducing to an appreciative audience "roots-inspired" new tunes. www.headhonchosband.com. 

"There's a scene in Ghost World where Steve Buscemi ventures to see an acoustic bluesman at a sports bar, and he brushes off a girl hitting on him because she's more into the headliner, Blues Hammer. Head Honchos are like Blues Hammer: as subtle as an uppercut and making Stevie Ray Vaughan sound like Skip James. The band's self-titled debut cannons chunky guitar riffs and cymbal crashes, and turns train songs into party anthems. Buscemi's Seymour would have cringed at how frontman Rocco Calipari Sr. enunciates The Meters' "Fire On The Bayou," but then again Seymour didn't like to have fun and Head Honchos certainly do."                                    ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER