Monday, August 10, 1998
Squirrel Nut Zippers swing into the Palace with unstoppable
energy
MUSIC: Band plays exciting set, thrills appreciative audience
with past hits, songs from new album
By Michelle Zubiate
Daily Bruin Staff
From horns, bass and drums, a beat develops into a frenzy of
jazzy rhythms. A girl grabs a guy and together they attempt to
whirl around on a crowded dance floor. Hot and excited, they begin
their night with a little bit of talented dancing and a lot of fun
while they move to the groovin’ tunes of an unknown band and an
established favorite.
Swingsters Squirrel Nut Zippers and Salsa group Bio Ritmo rocked
the sold-out crowd at the Palace on Aug. 4 with unstoppable energy
and the confidence of a renewed dance craze under their belts.
The combination gave way to a satisfied crowd of youngsters not
yet old enough for The Derby but filled with the same passion for
its swinging fads and impulses.
The newest mini-fad revolves around the re-emergence of
swing-style music, highlighted by such bands as the Cherry Poppin’
Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Now the young, like the old
before them, long for the same tunes, from Frank Sinatra to Benny
Goodman to the newest big band sounds of Brian Setzer and the
headlining Squirrel Nut Zippers.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers held the performance on the same day as
the release of its brand new album, "Perennial Favorites," with the
first single, "Suits Are Picking Up the Bill," already on the
airwaves. Its distinctly Dixieland-ish big band sound sets it apart
from the poppier sounds of their sibling bands.
The band played through each song with immense vitality and the
support of an adoring, youthful audience dressed in ’50s clothing,
from pedal pushers to bobby socks. Utilizing instruments from the
electric and acoustic guitar to a banjo, it gave the old-style
swing a fresh new sound with rock-oriented beats and poppier
vocals.
Some of the best moments of the night occurred when Katharine
Whalen would put down the banjo and take the microphone. As if
time-warped from the 1940s, her vocal timbre matched perfectly to
the smooth, melodious genre and gave a sweet, comfortable feel to
the lyrics. Unfortunately, her performances were limited throughout
the night.
The band sagged only for a couple songs in the middle of their
set, but regained another burst of hyper-hooks to pull off a
successful finale and a satisfactory encore. They proved that some
bands adequately write music but shine most on the stage.
Bio Ritmo, a talented salsa band from Virginia, opened the night
for the Zippers and proved equally, if not more, talented than
their headliners. Among bongo drums and snazzy Latin beats, the
singers performed choreographed dance steps to excite an anxious
crowd.
With Spanish lyrics, they gave the unsuspecting Palace crowd a
thrill with outstanding talent, combining exciting instrumentals
from the sizzle of piano hooks with the accented punctuations of
the underestimated maracas. Instead of boring with the monotony
that salsa often can fall into, they held their ground and played
each number like it was their best.
Although they will not replace the great jazz legends, both
bands proved that electric performance remains the key ingredient
to the hearts of music lovers over the decades, and that they both
have what it takes to keep the beats coming.
Mammoth Records
The Squirrel Nut Zippers, a swing band, played songs from their
new album at the Palace Aug. 4.