Downtown shimmy
“The Downtown Shimmy hits all the grooves for dancers, from swingin’ along with “Mercy”, to the country tub-thumping “John Henry,” to gritty and slow with “I’m Through With You,” to tight and funky with “Leave That Damn Thing Alone.” This album highlights the musical chops of this band, their ability to move from one genre to the next and sound phenomenal in each one. You will be powerless to fall into the rhythm and move to the music, even if you’re sitting in an office chair.”
— Andrew Smith, International Blues Dance Instructor
We like to think back to a time when music and dancing were intertwined, a time when people would clamor for a small patch of dance floor so they could hold someone tight and dance to their favorite songs. From the ornate dance floors of Manhattan to the dimly lit juke joints of Memphis, the music drove the dancers while the dancers drove the music. So was born The Downtown Shimmy.
Like our travels, our music roams across the map as well. It's grounded in the American roots of folk, blues and gospel, but also pulls from the newer traditions leading to funk, R&B, and rock. With Ray Charles as an inspiration, we blend them into a fun, dynamic sound that propels songs with momentum--and feet too if we're lucky.
Whether or not the music gets your body dancing, we hope to at least get your spirits soaring. As James Brown said, "The one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing." Take it from the Godfather of Soul.
John Henry
I Don’t Need No Doctor
Holy crap that was awesome!”
— Raphaële Piché, Montreal Canada
“Damn that was a great night. Looking forward to it happening again.”
— Gary Stewart, Montreal Canada
“You made my soul sing tonight. From Montreal, thank you. Oh my gosh, THANK YOU!”
— Mélisande Leduc, Montreal Canada
Josh Fialkoff has been blending his smoky voice and soulful instrumentals for audiences since 2006. His music features a refreshing take on both traditional blues and swing as well as modern songs, and his arrangements blend these influences in a way that is neither stale nor abstract.
As a pianist and vocalist Josh has found inspiration in some of music history’s heroes including Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Gene Harris. Like them, Josh seeks to create musical experiences that incorporate his audience, and that get people to move. Perhaps it’s precisely this focus that has brought such success for Josh and his ensembles who regularly play for swing and blues dances in the United States and beyond. Dancers at bluesSHOUT, Montreal Dance Fest, Bagel and Blues, DCLX at Glen Echo, Mobtown Ballroom, Montreal Bagel and Blues, BABBLE, and more have swooned and swayed to his unique musical mixture of the modern and the traditional. Once you hear Josh play, you'll revel in his refreshingly genuine sound too.
Frank Velardo takes to the guitar with commanding intensity. Since he picked it up at the age of 12, he has been composing, improvising, and performing a broad range of styles, although blues and jazz fire his passions. They were lit by idols such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Hendrix who inspired Frank's development in improvisation. This eventually lead to a formal study of jazz, theory, rhythm, harmony, world, and avant-garde music at Temple University where he graduated in 2010 with a degree in Jazz Performance. In October 2012, he released his first collection of original music showcasing his innovative songwriting and instrumental prowess. Along with leading his own projects under the anagrammatic stage name Ardvark Felon, Frank Velardo plays with various bands around Philadelphia and also teaches guitar to students throughout the city. He remains a student himself of the musical giants that came before him, while at the same time jumping from their shoulders to forge into uncharted territories.
Alex Maio has been on the Philadelphia music scene since 2006 and has performed, recorded, and toured with a variety of bands ranging in diversity from hiphop to jazz. In the studio he has performed on numerous recordings as well as sampling work for sound libraries and music software. In 2009 Alex performed with legendary pianist Tom Lawton for a suite commissioned by the American Composers Forum. The group performed concerts at several colleges and were featured on WRTI's "The Bridge" as well as the Jazz Bridge Series in Philadelphia (2013). Alex has been performing and recording with Frank Velardo since the two met at Temple University in 2008. In 2012 he joined up with pianist/singer Josh Fialkoff and bassist Matt Keppler and has done extensive festival performances and touring on the East Coast and Canada ever since.
Born in Monmouth County, NJ, Matt Keppler was brought up in a relatively non-musical household. At the age of 13, he decided to take up the guitar and was instantly hooked on music, going on to play and write with several different bands. In High School, Matt learned how to play the upright bass and eventually left the guitar behind in order to pursue a Jazz Upright Bass Performance Degree at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music. There he did session recordings in different genres, as well jazz and musical theater gigs. Unfortunately Purchase proved to be the wrong fit, leading to his transfer to University of the Arts where he received a Bachelor’s in Instrumental Performance. Matt is currently a bassist present in the Philly music scene and also performs with various rock, blues, gospel, and folk acts around town.
For over 20 years Ansel Barnum has sucked at the harmonica--and blown too. Over that time he's undertaken this common instrument with uncommon finesse, breaking with the conventions that typically constrain it to show how underestimated the little mouth organ is. A student of master and innovator Howard Levy, Ansel pushes the limits of the reeds using chromatic techniques that unlock access to all the notes in the diatonic harmonica. His vivid tone gives a mature voice to this child's toy which he's taken across diverse musical borders, from folk to funk, Celtic to classical, blues to baroque, and traditions in between. This versatility has made him a popular sideman to an array of bands who ask him both to the stage and on recordings for session work. In addition to playing with various groups including The Downtown Shimmy, Ansel has his own acoustic instrumental duo alongside fingerstyle guitarist Jason Hahn with whom he developed an acclaimed sound while living in Bethlehem PA.
Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, Ansel has quickly made a name for himself in the music scene. In less than a year he was invited to perform at such distinguished music festivals as Philly Folk Fest, where he showcased and lead harmonica workshops; Musikfest, where he performed for a third year in a row on its esteemed stage; and Spring Gulch Folk Festival, which chose him as the year's emerging artist. Ansel had the rare distinction of winning renown folk venue Godfrey Daniels' annual Best of Open Mic contest twice, first in 2008 then again in 2013 with his instrumental duo. But perhaps the greatest honor last year was when the "dean of American folk DJs" and "grandfather of Philadelphia Folk Music" Gene Shay invited Ansel on his legendary radio show and declared: "A fresh, new, folk talent just blew into town. And he's still blowin' great new harmonica at some of the hottest gigs in Philly. Ansel Barnum is the talented mouth harp man and he's a great, crowd please--from recording studios to Festival stages."
