Latest News
MARCH 2007
A great party atmosphere at the Bayside Community Festival at Altona. Ron & Margaret Winchester danced the night away and at one stage we even had Margaret join us on the stage to help out with vocal backing on "Rag Mop". Glen Hirst (drummer & CD producer on our earlier works) took a break from touring with Xavier Rudd to come and mix the sound for us. Despite the fact he had a cold and couldn't hear too well the sound was great.
Again, the crowds were great at our Friday and Saturday night shows at the Inverloch Jazz Festival. The Governor of Victoria was the patron of the festival and came to both shows. We have now sold out of the "Jumptown" CD and our live DVD and have had another production run of "Broke" so we don't run out.
FEBRUARY 2007
Received great receptions at our two appearances at Halls Gap Jazz Festival. Sold most of our our CD and DVD collection. Check out the Photos page.
Ken's daughter Sarah Dwyer made her Halls Gap debut with BazzaJack Jazz Band and a guest appearance with G-Swing. The crowds went crazy when she sang, so a new group - The Sarah Dywer Quartet - is being formed to make the most of the festival next year. Check out the links page to learn more.
JULY 2006
Release of our first DVD: One Night Only - Live in Concert.
JUNE 2006
Our first tour: The Great Southern Tour through western Victoria and Adelaide , South Australia.
MARCH 2006
Appearance at Commonwealth Games Geelong waterfront "Spirit of the Games" live venue.
FEBRUARY 2006
New CD "BROKE" Released
OCTOBER 2005 A new CD & DVD in the making.
The guys & gals book the St Joseph's College Performing Arts Centre to produce a DVD & CD in front of a live audience.
JANUARY 2005 A new TV show from Geelong has hit the airwaves.
On Saturdays at 9:30 pm a new variety show goes go to air on Channel 31. An all-Geelong production, it is recorded live to tape earlier in the week in the very heart of the city - the new LIMELIGHT BAR in the basement of the T & G Building. The show is called 'Geelong in the Limelight" and feature local Neo-Swing and Jump Blues band SWING IT!! as house band.
OCTOBER 2004 Royal Crown Revue support gig
This was the gig of all gigs for Swing It!! Support for the best known Neo-Swing Band and the ones who are credited with having started the Swing Revival. These guys are awesome. To be able to share the stage with them is as good as it gets.
One week after this gig we entered the studio to start work on our third CD. We were inspired by the week before's events.
SEPTEMBER 2004 New Boys
With the departure of Les Burke, legend guitarist and lead vocalist, (to a place of peace & quiet) we introduced Gabriel Benke (Guitar) and Lachy Joyce (Vocals) on 19th September at The Nash - the official first gig for the new boys. They are both featured on our new CD "Jumptown".
SEPTEMBER 2004 Swanky 40;s Swing Party
Last year Clonard College hosted the ‘Swanky 1940’s Swing Party’. This evening was a huge success and the event was a sellout. Since this evening, swing dance has grown in popularity throughout Geelong.
We understand that Geelong now has the highest growth rate of Swing dancers and Jitterbuggers in Australia. Since last years Swing party, numerous Clonard students were inspired to join the elite league of Swing dancers learning the energetic dance style through Swing Patrol.
Clonard College has answered the call of Swing dancers and lovers of Swing music throughout Geelong by hosting The ‘even swankier’ 1940’s Swing Party. This evening was again held at Clonard College on Saturday, the 4th of September from 7:30pm until Midnight. Tickets were sold out weeks in advance and patrons dressed in their Swankiest 1940’s gear.
The evening had the largest line-up of Swing bands for any swing ball in Victoria.
Patrons were entertained by the talents of Clonard’s own Big Al’s Allstars, the 16-piece GCB Bigband, Swing It!!, Geelong’s very own neo-swing and jump jive band, and numerous swinging vocalists. Patrons were also entertained with items from Clonard College’s Concert Band and a variety of dance ensembles including the high energy Swing Mafia Dancers who set the night alight. Over 100 performers did the swing thing on what was a fantastic and energetic night of swing.
FEBRUARY 2004 HALLS GAP JAZZ FESTIVAL: Friday 13th to Sunday 15th
"You should have been there". This festival featured mostly Trad Jazz Bands so the guys & girls from Swing It!! were unsure how the crowd would react to some sinful Neo-Swing!
The band was completely taken by surprise when their marque filled up on Friday night before they started playing. As they burst into Brown Derby Jump, a few couples in the front row got up and left. One or two others covered their ears and lots of people crossed their arms and just looked. On stage, hearts began to drop. Though, when they finished the song, the crowd burst into rapturous applause and Swing It!! were instantly accepted as THE band to come and see. Every song in the set was greeted with cheers and more applause.
The Saturday night set began at 11:15. As Swing It!! was the last band on for the night they were able to play on past midnight. Again the crowd got into it and helped energize the band. It was around 45 degrees during the day so energy was hard to find!
The third and final set on the Sunday was gaining momentum from the crowd and a few even started to dance! The temperature was a cool 38 degrees. It got hotter.
For all those who were there and supported the band the guys say thanks, they were overwhelmed by your reaction.
Letters to the Editor - Wimmera Mail Times 3rd March 2004
SWINGING JAZZ FESTIVAL SIR: Five friends and I attended the 18th Grampians Jazz Festival at Halls Gap on the weekend of February 13,14 and 15, and what a great weekend it was, even with the weather being very hot with temperatures at 45 degrees plus.
There were more than 110 bands and 4000 jazz music lovers present. My congratulations to organisers and musicians for this fabulous weekend.
But what made it so special was hearing and seeing a band from Geelong called "Swing It!!" They play neo-swing and jump blues. It was a great pleasure to be part of the enjoyment these very talented young musicians gave us. Their performance oozed sheer emotion, and I can't wait to hear them again. For music lovers of all kinds of music, the weekend of February 11,12 and 13 is the place to be in 2005.
And once again thanks to Swing It!! and all the other musicians for sharing your talent with us.
Rhonda Huf - Dimboola
Swing It, Forte Magazine. Review January 2001
When someone mentions that they play dance music, do ‘bloop, bloop’ sounds immediately spring to mind? Do you think of Commodores driving the streets, windows down, with ‘oonce, oonce’ music blaring out their speakers? Does your foot immediately reach for an imaginary bass drum pedal?
It wasn’t always this way kids. Once there were the good ol’days of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Chick Webb; why even that commercial clown Ted Heath used to play dance music, only back then it was called ‘swing’. And some people have not forgotten. Meet Swing It!!, a seven-piece Geelong band set to revive the golden days of swing music.
Swing It!! Play what is popularly called ‘Neo-Swing’ evoking the sounds of the big band era. Modeling their sound and set on bands such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer Orchestra and Royal Crown Revue. Swing It!! are here to make you polish those dancing shoes.
After a tour of the U.S. Ken Hirst wanted to bring back home some of the flavour and sounds of New Orleans and the West Coast. Forming Swing It!! in August 2000 they were originally called The Blues Project because they were concentrating on an R&B style of music. Something more reminiscent of Booker T & the MG’s or Roomful of Blues. Now, however, they’re concentrating on the swing direction. Swing It!! have recorded a CD and will be launching it at the Pako Festa in February 2001. Being more of a fun band, as opposed to a money making venture, Swing It!! will be concentrating on Victorian gigs. The band actually come together when Andrew started working with Ken, who then asked his son Glen to join up. Ken had also known Les for quite a while and was thinking of asking him to join them, when Les rang and asked whether Ken would like to do anything. Cutting out the middleman, Les joined on board. Les knew Andrew, Mel is married to Andrew and Mark and Andrew were both part of Madhouse, hence the connection there. Mark and Laura are also both part of the Geelong Concert Band, so it didn’t take too long for Swing It!! to form as one. It’s amazing the connections you can find if you put your mind to it, isn’t it?
So, if you like your music large, lively and brassy, you’de be a fool to miss the Swing It!! experience. Swing It!! launches its CD at the Pako Festa, 3.00pm in Waratah Street.
L.N. A swinging time, Geelong Advertiser, February 2003
It was during a trip to America several years ago that Ken Hirst first caught the neo-swing bug. The Geelong musician was captivated by the energetic, happy beat. Now back in Australia, Ken is riding on the back of a neo-swing revival, with his own local band, SWING IT!!.
Ken said the neo-swing outfit took modern songs and turned them into 40’s swing style. “There has been a revival that started in the States in the very early 90’s”he said. “It is starting to happen here now and there are a lot of dancing groups.” The seven-piece band draws influences from the East Coast Jazz & Blues, Memphis and New Orleans Rhythm and Blues and West Coast Neo-Swing groups. The band is lining up in its third Pako Festa.