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5.16.2004 9:38 AM \| Link	Soon we started playing Monday nights at the Caucus Club - since Four on the Floor had dance classes that night, it was a good fit to have a swing band play afterwards. Our first show there was such a thrill - we thought we were real stars! We got to see our name on the board in the entryway, we had some comped drinks, and playing on that raised stage was so exciting. Little did we know then that we would end up playing over a year of Monday nights there! The Caucus became our "home", in a way. The bartenders liked us because we were big tippers, and they even invented a drink for us - the "Day Job" was a concoction with scotch (our liquor of choice), and we were proud of it. Those Monday nights were something special, and really helped us develop a following - we had honest to goodness fans! All of that playing really helped us hone our performance. Ernesto and Dae wrote out excellent crafted solos that I loved to play behind - since I knew what phrases were coming, I could accent and punch in all the right places. I had fun playing with dynamics and "Las Vegas" endings just because I liked to be cheesy, but I also tried to always play jazz style, without the heavy snare on two and four, which I think helped differentiate us from the other swing bands. Ann Marie and I loved to play against each others fills, and we all liked to listen to Matt sing, because he was a whiz with coming up with alternate melodies and lyrics, just like his hero, Mel Torme. I'll never forget that feeling of counting us off and hearing us all come in together - it always felt just right, like putting on a favorite T-shirt. Labels: bands, memories


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