Red Hot Rugcutters

For Dan Reese, playing music don't mean a thing if he can't play some swing.

Man, is he swinging now. Like a chandelier.

Reese sings and plays boogie-woogie piano in Red Hot Rugcutters, a horn-drenched Erie quintet that favors the music of the 1940s and early 1950s. They play pre-rock artists such as Wynonie Harris, Louis Prima, and Louis Jordan, and newer cats with the same swingin' vibe.

"We've been well-received. We've got a good following of dancers," Reese said.

"The songbook is so strong, you can't sit there and not feel good and tap your feet," added guitarist Shawn Phelps.

"Toe-tapping is definitely involved," said Reese.

Reese knows 'cause he's dipped his toes in swing. He formerly played in Big Swing Face, an 11-piece band that broke up several years ago. Reese also knows the other side of the bandstand. He's a swing dancer himself and hosts a weekly swing night as a DJ at Rocco's Tavern.

When he put together Red Hot Rugcutters, he knew which type of swing band would satisfy dancers most.

"I wanted songs that were between three and five minutes long, of medium tempo, but very swingable, so the swing dancers would have a whole evening of swing dancing," he said.

Phelps, a rocker until now, loves learning songs he never knew before.

"It's been a real history lesson for me in the roots of rock and roll," he said. "Dan and Larry Kownacki have given me an education."

Red Hot Rugcutters said they're drawing lots of younger fans, who are interested in swing music.

"This music reaches all ages," Reese said.

The group also benefits from sporting a familiar face behind the drum kit. That would be Lou Baxter, WJET-TV's news director and a swing dancer from way back. Baxter attended the Rugcutters' first show, which featured emergency drummer Seth Reese, Dan's 17-year-old son. Seth filled in after their original drummer left.

"Lou came up and said, 'I'd love to play in your band and play this type of music,'" Reese said.

Phelps and Reese talked with Showcase about the Rugcutters.

HOMETOWN
Erie.

BAND MEMBERS
Dan Reese, piano, lead vocals; Shawn Phelps, guitar, vocals; Larry Kownacki, saxophone, trumpet; Dave Pennsy, trombone, stand-up bass; Lou Baxter, drums.

THE INSPIRATION
Reese, Kownacki, and Pennsy all formerly played in Big Swing Face, an 11-piece swing band. Then Reese ran into Phelps at an area benefit featuring Blue Lunch, a smaller swing band from Cleveland. They decided Erie needed its own swing band that could play clubs and dances.

THE SOUND
Swing, early rock, and rockabilly

THE SET LIST
Songs from the late 1940s and early 1950s by such artists as Louis Prima, Wynonie Harris, Louis Jordan, and Bill Haley; plus current swing-revival artists such as Indigo Swing, Red Hots, and Mighty Blues Kings.

LAST GREAT CONCERT YOU SAW
"Bela Fleck and the Flecktones at Memorial Auditorium in Edinboro," said Phelps.

"My favorite band to hear live is Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers. They're also one of my inspirations for doing this," said Reese.

WHAT'S IN YOUR CD PLAYER NOW?
"Steve Earle's 'Guitar Town' and Reverend Horton Heat's 'Revival,' his new one," said Phelps.

"Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks," Reese said.

IDEAL BAND TO OPEN FOR
"That'd be Rod Piazza," Reese said. "I like Reverend Horton Heat," added Phelps.

CDS
Currently recording four-song demo at Midtown Recording.

WEB SITE
Not yet.