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List of Contemporary Bands that Play Music of the Golden Era!

Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
If the Hunks have broken up (even if only into smaller Hunks), that's too bad. I love their work. My favorites are Fingerbustin', the sax CD featuring Ronald Heitmaijer, and Kodachrome, the Ray Scott orchestral set.

I have the Fingerbustin' CD too! Another I like from Basta is "The Aces of Swing" with Robert Veen really good stuff.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
Check out their early stuff, Stray Cats, Gonna Ball, Built for Speed, Rant and Rave.. Their music lead me to the classic rock and roll/rockabilly stuff. I saw the Stray Cats perform at The Ritz in NYC back in the 80s. It was fun!
 

Chas

One Too Many
Messages
1,715
Location
Melbourne, Australia
The Stolen Sweets in Portland, Ore.
Midnight Serenaders, also from Portland.
Combo Mahalo, from Austin, Tx.
Hopping Mad Orchestra, Vancouver B.C.
Sweet Hollywaiians, Osaka Japan
[video=youtube;Q3A_CAPo5nM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3A_CAPo5nM[/video]

Dal Richards Orchestra, Vancouver B.C. Dal has been leading bands since 1939, and at 92 shows no sign of quitting.
[video=youtube;m0EDTZFuup0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0EDTZFuup0[/video]
 
Messages
12,009
Location
East of Los Angeles
In addition to Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Brian Setzer Orchestra, I'd recommend Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, one of the forerunners of the swing revival movement in the late 80s and early 90s. They perform both original music and covers, but it's all based on 40s-50s swing music.
 

Espee

Practically Family
Messages
548
Location
southern California
Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys (rockabilly.) I have their CD "Turntable Matinee" and every song is original, but sounds like mid-1950s to early-1960s. I've seen them live a couple times... they do mix in a cover here and there-- "I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)" [Buck Owens] can be found on YouTube.
Based in Orange County (southern California) but tour Europe frequently.
www.bigsandy.net
 

Espee

Practically Family
Messages
548
Location
southern California
The Bonebrake Syncopators, featuring D.J. Bonebrake on vibes, play jazz, be-bop, and western swing. I saw them at McCabe's in Santa Monica. To my ear, it was songs of the 20s and 30s, played in a 40s style. They are about to make their first appearance at the Cicada Club in L.A.
djbonebrakemusic.com
 

Chas

One Too Many
Messages
1,715
Location
Melbourne, Australia
OK, I'm gonna nitpick.

I don't consider Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Squirrel Nut Zippers or Brian Setzer "authentic" golden age style bands. Don't get me wrong - they're good musicians and entertainers. They are, however, swing revival or jazz-influenced musicians. Not authentic the same way Mora's Modern Rhythmists or Vince Giordano is.
 
Last edited:
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
That's one of the things I was thinking when i started the thread was what type of consensus we would have as to Authentic. I can hear the modern influence as to rock or what I hear as the Las Vegas sound which is later. Not that it is bad music it can be fun and cool but I had in mind more of the "just like they did it back then" sound.

There is a shift and I believe it has to do with reflecting what direction jazz went in, so you will hear the later Big Band music that sounds more like Doc Sevrensen and the Tonight Show Orchestra than say maybe Swing in an earlier incarnation of Glen Miller or Bennie Goodman.
 
Messages
12,009
Location
East of Los Angeles
OK, I'm gonna nitpick.

I don't consider Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Squirrel Nut Zippers or Brian Setzer "authentic" golden age style bands. Don't get me wrong - they're good musicians and entertainers. They are, however, swing revival or jazz-influenced musicians. Not authentic the same way Mora's Modern Rhythmists or Vince Giordano is.
I'd say that's a fair assessment; it's probably more accurate to say Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Squirrel Nut Zippers, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra are influenced by the big band/swing music of the 40s and 50s. When I want to hear the real deal I listen to the 30s-40s station on XM radio.
 

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