THE MUSIC
We have begun putting our music lineup together. This is just the beginning of great things, so check back often.
The DJs
Devona Cartier (New York, NY) - She grew up on Blues and R&B, 
, preferring to listen to oldies on the radio in the hopes of hearing Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry, Ruth Brown, and the Jackson 5. Devona was drawn to DJing by the need to dance to Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, Lead Belly, James Cotton, Stick McGee, and the like. When she began DJing in 2004 most "blues music" was slow jazz and R&B. She was one of the first to begin playing sets dedicated to music from the Blues genre, spinning a wide range styles and tempos. But don't assume blues is all she plays. Devona is a regular DJ at Frim Fram in NYC, and plays for a variety of Lindy Hop events nationally. She also has been know to DJ for Balboa and Carolina Shag. Her music collection is broad; expect her sets to have variety and to keep the crowd, any crowd, dancing.
Bill Speidel (Norfolk, VA) - DJ Bill Speidel was raised on a diet of Big Band swing, blues standards, and too much alcohol in lower Manhattan’s seedy blues bars and late night jazz clubs. Relocating to Norfolk in 2005, Bill’s consistently blended hard swinging and slow simmering blues sets that have made him a crowd favorite at dances throughout eastern Virginia.
Bill’s blistering late night blues sets at this year’s Lindy Focus, Dirt Cheap Blues Exchange, and RVA Late Night Blues, earned him rave reviews from dancers from across the country. Bill has also served as head DJ for VBLX, won second place in 2007’s Las Vegas’ National Battle of the Swing DJ's, DJ’ed the Albany Chill LX, and will be DJ’ing CHEX in May.
We’re happy to welcome Bill home to his old carousing grounds.
Heather Adams (Knoxville, TN) - Heather began listening to blues
music in the womb, thanks to a mother with excellent taste. Unfortunately for her mother, that's also when she began dancing to it. She is an unpublicized member of the Justice League of America who honed her craft in a Tibetan monastery before joining the [this portion of this bio has been removed for your protection] in their fight against [also this portion]. When she's not studying, she knits. While listening to music, of course.
You may have seen her spin at the inaugural Austin Blues Party, Enter the Blues, MezzJelly Blues Weekend, Buenos Aires Blues, or at exchanges throughout the Southeast. If you're lucky, you can catch one of her sets on www.bigblueswing.com. And she definitely wants to dance with you--you especially--so just ask.
Solomon Douglas (Toronto) - Solomon Douglas is a jazz pianist and bandleader, whose various bands have played at more than fifty exchanges, camps, workshops, and other events in North America, Asia, and Australia in the past eight years. His experience as a swing dancer and dance instructor gives him an understanding unique among musicians of the music that swing dancers and blues dancers like to dance to!
Amy Best (Seattle, WA) - Bio coming soon...
Lizzy Boyer (Seattle, WA)-Lizzy teaches in Western WA with her partner Kevin Buster. A passionate instructor and tremendous dancer, she is also an accomplished vocalist and musician. She has been blues dancing and lindyhopping for two years. She also has 13 years experience in musical theater and a conglomeration of authentic middle eastern dances. When teaching, dancing or DJing, she says it is her goal for everyone to have the time of their lives. Lizzy placed 4th in Sonny Newman's Big Apple competition in February 2007, 1st in the March 2007 Halo Swing Dance Competition, 1st in the may 2007 ESSC Dance Competition, and 5th in the 2007 Annual Killer Diller Ball Lindyhop Contest. lindybomb.com
Mihai Banulescu (San Francisco, CA)-Mihai started DJing at a 
clandestine blues room in August 2003 and has since DJ'ed an average of two sets per week at house parties and venues in San Francisco and all around the United States. He specializes in blues and tango fusion, but has also entertained lindy hop and classical tango audiences.
Mihai gets easily bored, so he will never play more than three songs without smoothly transitioning to a different mood, style or tempo. Any given playlist might include: Chicago/electric guitar blues (Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker), acoustic blues (Lightnin' Hopkins, Memphis Slim), soul blues (Etta James, Bobby Bland), jazzy blues (Sidney Bechet, Nina Simone) and even some bluesy pop and trip-hop (John Mayer, Portishead). The proportions of each depend on the blues venue or house party, but will probably include no less than 50% "real" blues and no less than 25% "jazz and soul" blues.
He likes to educate his audiences, but with good measure, and never at the expense of an enjoyable dance.
The Bands
The Solomon Douglas Quartet- Solomon Douglas is a jazz pianist and bandleader, whose various bands have played at more than fifty exchanges, camps, workshops, and other events in North America, Asia, and Australia in the past eight years. His experience as a swing dancer and dance instructor gives him an understanding unique among musicians of the music that swing dancers and blues dancers like to dance to!
The Mojomatics- The Mojomatics are a hard-charging 5 piece unit that have been tearing up the clubs for over a quarter century. Their debut offering “My Kind of Crazy” melds lowdown blues with elements of funky soul and primitive rock & roll. It’s loaded with lots of heavy guitar and harp driven originals, weaving tales depicting misguided machismo, debauchery, overindulgence, paranoia and love gone wrong. It garnered immediate attention when it was chosen as the Connecticut Blues Society submission to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis for “Best Independent CD Release of 2006”. It is currently receiving airplay from Alaska to the Virgin Islands and everywhere in between. It has been featured on Blues Deluxe syndicated internet radio which plays on over 120 stations nationwide, and has been picked up by Dan Aykroyd’s internationally acclaimed House of Blues Radio Hour, where it was highlighted as the “Blues Breaker of the Week” on October 20-21. Many cuts off the CD are currently being played on BlueEars internet radio in constant rotation. The band is now booking festivals, clubs and special functions throughout the northeast.
Gordon Webster Trio- Amazing bio coming soon...
And there's one more band TBA...
MORE WILL BE ADDED SOON!