Assignment: S w i n g e r h e a d
Report filed by Aaron Seymour

Synopsis:
The expansion of our Swing Nation continues relentlessly. Factions from coast to coast as well as points in between and abroad have solidified swing as a way of life rather than as a "flash fad" headline for local newspapers and tabloids. Journalists are being forced to observe more than the mere presence of swing, and musicians and entertainers are being subjected to a more educated crowd. Now, more than ever, there is a demand for swing operatives who can take an audience by storm with a cunning tune, a sharp ear, and an engaging wit.

Few agents are as qualified for the assignment as Michael Andrew and his crack team of players, better known as the band Swingerhead. Andrew's qualifications are unique. For most, modern swing is a discovery or rediscovery of an attraction to the music. For Andrew, entertainment centered on swing has been the driving force of his entire life. Andrew has had a multitude of successful assignments in swing, most pre-dating the movement as it is known today. He is an ally of the modern movement more than a product of it. He is a valuable agent with a rich case history.

Early Background:
An affinity for swing and its rhythms came early for Andrew. At the ripe age of five his parents took him to a country club in their hometown of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The attraction was Andrew's uncle playing with a small jazz combo headed by Vince Peta. Instinctively, the boy began tapping his foot in perfect 2/4 time to the music. Amazed parents and musicians laughed and cheered. "I was right in the groove and the band couldn't get enough of me," remembers Andrew, admittedly aided by numerous recounts of the story from his family. Soon afterward, his parents bought him a toy drum set. The drums kept his interest for a while but musicianship wasn't what was calling him. Around the same time Andrew saw Jerry Lewis's "The Nutty Professor" for the first time and the impact was overwhelming. The combination of the Buddy Love character and the music of Les Brown ("Leap Frog," specifically) instantly formed a vision in Andrew's mind that would guide the rest of his life. The next showing of the movie found Andrew with a cassette recorder in his hand capturing "Leap Frog" and "I've Got a World That Swings" for endless hours of replaying and memorizing.

As he grew older, Andrew continued to dabble with instruments, including some time spent with a clarinet during his junior high school years. But his heart was in the many skits and shows he would organize and perform in. "I was always more interested in the performance side of music," he says. "I didn't want to do scales. i wanted to perform right away!" That mentality guided Andrew into the University of Wisconsin as a theatre major. At first he concentrated his talents on acting and theatre graphic design. Eventually his involvement with musical productions would connect him with a persuasive vocal coach. In the past, practicing an instrument for hours on end had demanded too much discipline, but ten minutes a day of vocal exercises was something he could deal with. Andrew quickly learned breathing techniques and how to support a tone. He applied his newfound talent to the love of swing he had developed as a kid, and by his senior year of college, he was performing Sinatra with a small combo at local hotels. But for Andrew the experience had an unusual motivation. Andrew viewed himself more as an actor playing the role of a singer than as a singer.

It was the early eighties and, needless to say, crowds couldn't (or wouldn't) work up much excitement for a young Frank Sinatra-esque lounge singer. The crowds he sang for rarely paid close attention, but in Andrew's mind this made for the perfect scenario. "I had this romantic idea that it was even cooler when nobody paid attention," he explains. "Singing over muddled conversations and clanking glasses... it's the classic tragic and amusing scene of a lounge singer." He didn't know it at the time but the character created on those nights would define Andrew's career.

Assignment: Scotland
Another significant event took place in Andrew's senior year of college. Having accepted an offer to study abroad, Andrew spent six months in Scotland. The trip was not focused on his budding career as a singer, but the opportunities found him. A little-known fact (to this day) is the Scotland has a passionate affection for swinging American singers like Sinatra, Mel Torme, and especially Bobby Darin. Eager to perform, Andrew found venues for his Sinatra act. Between his talents and his American heritage, Andrew drew and captivated crowds. After shows Andrew was approached and congratulated, but much to his surprise the compliments were for his similarities to Bobby Darin. Not knowing much about Darin beyond "Splish-Splash" or 'Mack the Knife," Andrew combed the local record store and found more Darin selections in that store than he has ever seen since. It took a few listens to the cassettes he bought that day before his Sinatra act gave way to Darin inspirations. "Bobby Darin swung harder than anything I'd ever heard," admits Andrew proudly. "With his phrasing and style, I feel that he is the ultimate swing singer."

Returning to Wisconsin with a revised act and a charged ego, Andrew decided that it was time to see just how much of a career he could make with his singing. The university's guidance counselor had two words from him: "cruise ship."

Assignment: Carnival Cruise Line
More than twenty audition tapes with Andrew's name on them went out to cruise line agents in the following months. One agent called back from Carnival Cruise Lines. The cruise industry is a tough business. Entertaining both younger and older passengers often means having to exclude one or the other. Andrew's hip delivery of classic swing was viewed as a safe bet. He wasn't so much hired for his talent as he was hired on the premise that no one would hate him.

Andrew's career with Carnival had a slow and awkward start. He not only had to provide charts for the ship's band, he had to learn what the word "charts" meant. With some not-so-good-natured pressure from the ship's bandleaders, Andrew worked hard to become a professional. He spent his free time on the ship teaching himself music theory from books by Henry Mancini and Nelson Riddle. On stage, Andrew's performances received the response the booking agent was after: nobody hated him. But of course Andrew wanted more.

During a break from ship tours, Andrew returned to Wisconsin at the request of a friend/director to take the lead role in a play called "The Nerd." The role demanded that Andrew create a believably nerdish character and not just an amalgam of stereotypes. The play and Andrew's character were both successes.

Inspired by the new persona, Andrew conceived and rehearsed an idea for his return to Carnival. One of the requirements for entertainment staff on the cruise ship was to host events like bingo games or raffle ticket sales. This was an odd and distasteful chore for Andrew. As he puts it, "Picture Sinatra or Darin moving cardboard horses on a plastic rack. It doesn't work." But this time when Andrew returned to the ship he assumed his nerd character full time. People accepted this person without much question: a foolish bingo barker by day, a goofy cruise performer by night with an act of bad rap songs, pop covers, and silly stage stunts. By the third day of the cruise, passengers would naturally come to expect little from the humdrum performer, and that's when the show would begin. In the third night's performance the nerd would would take the stage and announce that he'd like to do an impression of Frank Sinatra. The crowd moans as Andrew turns away, brushes back his hair, changes his posture, and croons his heart out. Within moments the audience realizes that the nerd was an act. The first audience to witness Andrew's performance gave him a standing ovation. He was a hit.

Over the next five years Andrew became the toast of the Carnival entertainment circuit. His act was booked on every ship in the fleet and on every inaugural cruise. Andrew had not only become a successful singer but was being paid to be his earliest inspiration, the Nutty Professor.

Assignment: Orlando
As ship life became mundane, Andrew bought a house in Orlando and began searching for new assignments. Armed with twenty-plus charts and arrangements for both small and large bands, he started The Michael Andrew Orchestra. Since the year was 1988, there was no young swing crowd of nightclubbers and dancers as there is today; but corporate gigs and private parties provided plenty of evening work. By day he kept his acting bug satisfied by taking on the role of the Stan Laurel impersonator for the newly opened Universal Studios in Florida. Occasionally he made treks to perform in Atlantic City, where he would be approached for a new assignment.

Assignment: Rainbow Room
One evening during a show in Atlantic City Andrew started a tune he refers to as the "Oh, yeah" song. It's actually a version of "As Time Goes By," with a longer introduction. Most audiences don't recognize the tune until the familiar refrain, prompting the crowd to say, "Oh, yeah." Andrew gave the "oh, yeah" explanation and then began the song as he normally does. But on this particular night an unassuming gentleman near the bar heard no more than three words before announcing in a cocky and commanding voice, "As Time Goes By." The man stopped Andrew and the song cold. Andrew laughed off the interruption and requested that the bartender give the man a drink. After the show, Andrew approached the older man, dreading sarcasm and endless stories. Instead, a handshake and short words greeted Andrew: "My name is Roger Paige. I'm the booking agent for the Rainbow Room. Here's my card, I'd like you to call me." The opportunity was a dream come true for Andrew who, of course, called Paige soon afterward. More than a year passed before Page called Andrew back and, in the same staunch manner, said, "I'd like you to come to a rehearsal and audition." Andrew got himself to the audition with only a few days' notice and took the stage that night as the leader of New York's Rainbow Room Orchestra. Andrew's prestigious stint at the Rainbow Room became a two-year affair, during which time he worked into his various contracts the authority to write and perform his own music (which his friend/composer Scott Whitfield collaborated on). When the two-year gig came to a close, Andrew left New York with a recognized name, forty-plus fresh charts, and an ear for getting the most out of a four-piece horn section, all of which would prove invaluable as his career progressed.

Assignment: Mickey Swingerhead and the Earthgirls
Upon returning to Orlando, Andrew began to notice a growing popularity for lounge and swing. The group Combustible Edison and the re-released Esquivel CD struck Andrew as "a B-movie fad. I loved it." Inspired by what he was hearing and eager to create a new character, Andrew conceived a concept/performance band. The result was Mickey Swingerhead ( a singer from outer space) and his back-up singers, known as The Earth Girls. Not long after Andrew began to work on this project, a lunch date with a friend and director for the Orlando Civic Arts Theatre convinced Andrew to turn the band idea into a full-fledged musical. Almost simultaneously an offer came to return to Carnival Cruise Lines to inaugurate their world cruises. The situation was perfect: perform at night and write by day. When the cruise tour ended, Andrew returned to Orlando and teamed up with friend/producer Tony Battaglia. Within a few months, "Mickey Swingerhead and the Earth Girls" opened at the Orlando Civic Arts Theatre. The run was short and the crowds small, but the critics were happy.
Read all about this show and the music here

Assignment: Disneyworld to Rat Packs
After the success of his play, Andrew started concentrating on his bands again. An audience member attending the "Mickey Swingerhead" show offered Andrew a regular Monday night gig at the struggling Atlantic Dance Hall in Walt Disney World. The band, with its rotating players, was simply known as Michael Andrew and The Retro Swing Band. The Monday night draw slowly but quickly gained momentum. The modern movement of swing was gaining speed and Andrew caught a glimpse of his new future. Within months, the Atlantic Dance Hall club became a seven-night-a-week swing venue (although eventually the Atlantic closed its doors to swing in favor of disco, due to new management). At the same time, the proprietor of an Orlando club called Jani Lane's Sunset Strip approached Andrew with a desire to transform his club into the ultimate swing joint. Collaborating on the new decor, from paint to dance floor, Andrew helped open Rat Pack's on the Avenue, which to this day is one the swankiest and most popular swing clubs in the country.
See the very funny retro style Rat Pack's ad

Assignment: Swingerhead
Andrew's current assignment, Swingerhead, came about from nothing less than perfect timing. The nationwide popularity of modern swing music gave Andrew's music and his lifelong love for entertaining its biggest potential audience and a plethora of musicians who shared his vision to choose from. Working once again with producer Tony Battaglia, Andrew re-worked some of his tunes from his play and wrote new songs incorporating the modern swing edge. He conceived Swingerhead as a complete entertainment package from fast tunes to slow tunes, and from songs with a story to songs that are strictly danceable. "I'm in this business because I love to entertain people," Andrew states as a bottom line. "I read the crowd and if there's a certain type of ambiance they're after, then that's what we'll give them."

Swingerhead is currently one of the strongest teams in action. For the first time in his career, Andrew proudly considers himself a member of a band rather than a solo performer. "I have nothing but respect for this band," boasts Andrew. "Every member is committed with a complete discipline for their instrument. I think one of my strengths is knowing how important the musicianship of this band is, and how dependent upon it I am to realize my vision. It's more than just my vision now, it's our vision."

Swingerhead is a crack unit of swing agents ready for any assignment requested by the swing nation. Their first release, 'She Could Be a Spy," is a "must-have" disc and is widely available. A follow-up CD is under way for a 1999 release. Their presence should be watched for and anticipated. Everywhere.