THE DANSETTES! at Magnetic Field (Atlantic ave & Hicks st.)

Whenever I spent a night out imbibing large amounts of alcohol, I always balance it with an equal amount of hydration, and often food bookending it on either side. This way, I have more or less been able to keep myself to less than five hangovers per year, which considering how many drinks I have over the span of a year. (500? 600?) I think is rather impressive.

A dance hangover, is something completely different.

This past Saturday evening, I got my groove on (no sexual inuendo implied) for nearly eight hours straight.

It all started at The Dansettes show at Magnetic Field, a cute pseudo-dive in Fort Greene with a small stage in the back. Didn't seem like enough to handle the vocal tripple threat of said band, but sufficed quite nicely with the boys in the band respectively standing behind the epynomous leads.

The Dansettes are Jenny Wasserman, Leah Fishman, and Jaime Kozyra: Three cute, petite, pale-skinned white girls with deep-down soul-filled voices that hit their highs and lows every time. Their band consists of Tom Ward on Bass, Andy and Dennis Pierce, on drums and guitar resp. and of course Jay B. Flatt the main man behind the keyboard, and from what I can tell, the mastermind behind the highly stylized band.

Their music is genre, that genre being 50's - 60's soul/rock and roll. It's not original, it's not revolutionary, but when it's good, it's damn good, and the Dansettes are damn good. Matching outfits are also a key aspect to their image. Leah informed me before the show that they own three matchings sets of dresses. I have so far seen them in the maroon and the sky-blue. Both sets, right out of a 1950's mod-squad action flick. The fellas were all proper in their black suits and shite shirts.

The bar was packed to the gills which helped fuel the band's energy, already on a kick from their triumphant return from SXSW (South by SouthWest music fest for ye ignoramus'). Unfortunately, it severely hindered the dance efforts of the small pack of groovy-cats right in front of the stage.

The crowning moment occurred when the band invited their surprise guest out on stage: None other than the Queen of Brooklyn Soul, AND the feature in this week's L magazine, the indominable Sharon Jones. a 4'11" powerhouse vocalist who brought the show home like a space-shuttle re-entering orbit and of course, invited a couple of the smoothest gents in the crowd to get down with her up on stage.

Oh yes I did. See the images section.

The Dansettes are riding a wave of momentum, and with their EP "Oh, My!" now available at shows, I suggest you check the sensation to get a blast from the past gettin' you up to shake yo' ass. And do it before they get to big for places like Magnetic Fields. Cause according to my friend who showed up late, they're selling out fast.