THE SALON: 5th Annual New Year's Eve Eve Party

The place to be this Sunday December 30th is THE SALON's 5th annual NEW YEAR'S EVE EVE party. This year, the Salon continues the tradition with another spectacular lineup of more than 40 performers for your lounging and dancing pleasure! 

This year's venue is THE DL, an elegant new club built into two brownstones that were combined to create a beautiful three floor venue, each featuring its own bar and dance floor, plus the huge rooftop lounge even has a separate outdoor smoking area... bring your cigars and pipes!

Live Music by:

** The 3rd floor features live music by:

THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
featuring vocalist John Dokes

QUEEN ESTHER & THE HOT FIVE
Grand Prize Winner, Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, 2008

plus
DJ VaVaVoon Spinning tunes to keep ya dancing all night

** The 2nd floor is all about the blues in the gorgeous "Red Room" with DJ FLOUER (from Friday Night Blues)...

and live music by 
RON SUNSHINE & BAND

** The Hot-Jazz 1st floor featuring
GELBER & MANNING The feuding vaudeville lovebirds. 

THE RED HOOK RAMBLERSDixieland Hot Jazz

MIKE “the barber” HAAR of the Ragged Phonograph Program
Spinning 1920’s hot-jazz & dance

**The Salon also proudly presents**

THE MINSKY SISTERSThe '20's Tap Dancing Sensation

DANDY WELLINGTON Master of Ceremonies and Emcee Extraordinaire

burlesque by
MEDIANOCHE
HAZEL HONEYSUCKLE

Plus, our lovely Go-Go dancers and Stage Kittens
STELLA CHUU
SYDNEY SUNRISE
MISS KACIE MARIE

FREE Beginner swing dance lesson from 7:30-8pm by
ARTURO PEREZ
The NYEE Salon tradition continues with Radishes for dapper gents by MICHAEL INGBAR

The Salon's signature commitment is equal billing for quality performances, dancing, AND cocktail culture. In that spirit of bon vivant, Loungerati is honored to be included in The Salon's 2012 NYEE party as their in house cocktailian along side award winning bartender ERYN REECE of Mayahuel!

THE SALON: New Year's Eve Eve
Sunday, December 30th, 2012
DL Lounge
95 Delancey Street
(Corner of Delancey St & Ludlow St) New York, NY
Doors open at 7pm with live music from 7:00pm to 1:30am
21+ (ID required)

TICKETS
* General Admission
$25 - Advance Tickets (online)
$30 - At the Door (cash only)

* VIP Tickets
$100 - Advance Tickets (online)
$110 - At the Door (cash only)VIP Tickets - Two hour premium top-shelf open bar from 8-10pm. Skip the line at the door, and gain exclusive access to VIP-Only area, with cocktail tables, seating and more. Limited availability. Food not included.

* All Ticket sales will be capped to prevent overcrowding.
* Early-Bird discounted ticket sale ended on Dec 16th.
* All advance ticket sales end Sunday Dec 30th at 12 noon.

The Salon's Annual New Year's Eve Eve at The Copacabana

The only place to be this Friday is The Salon's annual New Year's Eve Eve party. This year's venue is the newly reopened COPACABANA, one of the most famed and historic clubs in New York City. Since 1940 everyone has performed at the Copa, from Sinatra and the Rat Pack, to Ella, Liza, Edith Piaff, The Supremes, and the list goes on, and on. Now in the heart of Times Square, the new Copa boasts one of the largest dance floors in town, with beautiful new Brazilian-wood floors, numerous bars, and state of the art sound systems.

As a celebration of the Copa's musical heritage, The Salon is proud to present some of the hottest talent in town representing the many eras of the Copa's illustrious history. Please join the crew for the final event of THE SALON's 10th Anniversary year!

Live Music by:
THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
featuring vocalist John Dokes

QUEEN ESTHER & THE HOT FIVE
Grand Prize Winner, Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, 2008

MICHAEL ARENELLA QUINTET
The hottest of the hot jazz bands in town!

Intelligence Agents are invited to our top-secret roof from
6 to 9pm for the SPY LOUNGE, with classified performances by:

SARAH TRACEY & THE JET SET QUARTET
Album Release party for her debut full-length CD "Tell No One"

The Spy Lounge commences covert operations with
DON GATOR & THE KINGS OF SPYROCK

Spy lounge music spun by
DJs JACK FETTERMAN & GINA OF THE JUNGLE
 

Throughout the night performances by:

THE MINSKY SISTERS
The '20's Tap Dancing Sensation

GAL FRIDAY
Miss Coney Island 2009

LEGS MALONE
The girl with The Thirty-Four and a Half Inch Inseam

HAZEL HONEYSUCKLE
The Delicate Flower

Plus, our lovely Go-Go dancers and Stage Kittens
EVELYN VYNL and SYDNEY SUNRISE

Behind the Bar
FREDO - the Salon's Cocktail Impresario from Loungerati.com

DANDY WELLINGTON
Master of Ceremonies and Emcee Extraordinaire

DJ RYAN SWIFT
Keeps you dancing all night long!

The Salon's signature commitment is equal billing for quality performances, dancing,  AND cocktail culture. In that spirit of bon vivant, Loungerati is honored to be included in The Salon's 2010 NYEE party as their in house cocktailian. On that libation front, we have a special Holiday in Havana circa 1959 themed menu co-sponsored by Dutch's Colonial Cocktail Bitters.

This is the lounge and swing scene's biggest night out, so get dressed up, come see old friends, and meet new ones.

THE SALON: New Year's Eve Eve
Friday, December 30th, 2011
Doors open at 6pm with live music from 6:30pm to 1:30am

THE COPACABANA
268 West 47th Street
(Corner of 8th Ave) New York, NY (Map)
21+ (ID required)

HAVE WE GOT A DEAL FOR YOU...
$25 - Advance Tickets
$30 - at the door (cash only)

$70 - VIP Tickets
Skip the line at the door, and gain exclusive access to VIP-Only areas, with cocktail tables, seating and more. Limited availability.

(Early Bird tickets sales ended on December 13th)

for tickets and more info, please visit:
http://www.thesalon.biz/

Destinations: New Year's Parties 2011!!

Loungerati recommends the following events for your New Year's Eve celebrations. Kick off the fun one day early on New Year's Eve Eve at The Salon's annual party. Lounging, dancing, and great performances! Read more about the history of this alternative New Year's Party here. Then head to Brooklyn for a duo of unique events. Dress to the nines at a 1920s Formal ball at the Montauk Club or treat yourself to an evening of incredible cocktails and exotic fare inspired by the travels of drinks legend Charles H. Baker, Jr. at Fort Defiance.

New Year's Eve Eve - December 30, 2010

THE SALON - New Year's Eve Eve
at Rebel NYC
Doors open and live music begins at 8:00pm
Sponsored by Hendricks Gin and Milagro Tequila

REBEL, boasts Brazilian-walnut...dance floors, numerous bars, a state of the art sound system and we now have all 3 floors (13,000sq ft!) for your dancing and lounging pleasure. 

On the Main Dance Floor:
THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
featuring vocalists Hilary Gardner and John Dokes

in the Lounge:
QUEEN ESTHER & THE HOT FIVE
Grand Prize Winner, Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, 2008

THE FRIED BANANAS
Imported from Boston, this band kicks-off the BLUES ROOM at midnight - along with DJ LadyBlues, spinning until the wee hours.

MICHAEL ARENELLA TRIO
Special late night set in the VIP lounge

Dandy Wellington's MADE TO MEASURE BAND
Playing an early set on the mezzanine and a late night set on the mainstage.

In addition to live music all night long, The Salon proudly presents:

THE MINSKY SISTERS
The '20's Tap Dancing Sensation

MISS RUBY VALENTINE
The Alabaster Beauty... As seen on MAD MEN

LEGS MALONE
The girl with The Thirty-Four and a Half Inch Inseam

DANDY WELLINGTON
Emcee Extraordinaire

DJ's by Swing Remix
SPENCER WEISBOND and PAOLO LANNA will keep ya dancing all night long.

+ FREE beginner swing lesson at 8:15 by Spencer Weisbond!

Behind the bars:
ERYN REECE
Guest Mixlologist from Mayahuel

FREDO
Loungerati.com

The Salon has been sponsored by HENDRICKS GIN and MILAGRO TEQUILA! The first 100 guests to arrive at The Salon will receive a complimentary Hendricks or Milagro cocktail; doors open at 8pm and it's first-come-first-serve, so arrive early! In addition Milagro is offering free tastings of their tequilas from 10pm to midnight!

HAVE WE GOT A DEAL FOR YOU...
$20 - Early Advance Online (thru Dec 5th)
$25 - Advance Online (from Dec. 6th - Dec. 30th)
$30 - at the door (cash only)

for advance tickets and more info, go to:
http://www.thesalon.biz/

REBEL NYC
251 west 30th Street
(between 7th and 8th Ave) 
New York, NY
21+ ID required


New Year's Eve, Friday December 31st

For the Dancers and Jazz lovers

2011 Formal Ball at the Montauk Club
featuring Michael Arenella's Dreamland Orchestra
Dinner at 7PM
Drinks & Dancing at 8:30PM - 2:00AM
$75 PER PERSON - OPEN BAR
$140 PER PERSON - DINNER & OPEN BAR

Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra perform sweet and swinging '30s/'40s era standards for your listening and dancing pleasure. Featuring The Minsky Sisters Ring in the New Year with us in the Montauk Club's historic and luxurious ballroom.

General Admission Ticket - $75 (includes open bar)
General Admission tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com.
There will be no tickets available at the door, so please purchase your tickets in advance!

Dinner and Open Bar Ticket - $160
*taxes and service charges included*
Enjoy dinner in the Montauk Club's dining room, including the full service open bar.
Guests who would like to dine must first purchase a General Admission ticket at BrownPaperTickets.com, then email Jen@Dreamlandorchestra.com to make your dinner reservation.

Ticket sales end on 12/30 at midnight.

The Montauk Club
25 8th Ave, Brooklyn, NY
www.montaukclub.com
718.638.0800


For the Cocktail Lovers

Fort Defiance Cafe and Bar in Red Hook
NEW YEAR'S EVE: An Evening with Charles H. Baker, Jr. 
St. John Frizell and his crew will be serving a five-course prix-fixe menu inspired by the travels of our favorite globetrotting adventurer of the Cocktail Age, featuring Deviled Lobster from Cat Cay, the Bahamas; the Imperial Cossack Crusta from Shanghai; the Rangoon Star Ruby from Lower-Burmah; and much more! $95 includes five courses, paired wine, and cocktails. Make reservations today!

Fort Defiance
365 Van Brunt
Brooklyn, NY
www.fortdefiancebrooklyn.com
347.453.6672

The Salon's New Year's Eve Eve - A Lounge and Swing Tradition

In December of 1999, swing music promoter "Lo-Fi" Lee Sobel threw a legendary party at New York's Webster Hall. The date was Dec 30th, two days for the beginning of a new decade, and it seemed like the whole city packed the historic ballroom in their best 1940s attire. He dubbed it the "New Year's Eve Eve Swing Ball."

In later years, Lee kept the party going at the gorgeous art deco Supper Club ballroom and it typically featured as many bands as there were bars, on two floors and multiple rooms. New Year' Eve Eve became the scene's must attend event. It was a time when retro/vintage culture aficionados, loungers, swing dancers, rockabilly scenesters, and everyone in between put on their finest duds and reconnected before the New Year. 

It also turned into a real money maker for Lee's production company because it was regarded a special holiday gathering for everyone in the community. People who never went out made it a point to attend the Swing Ball. However, as the retro scene splintered and evolved, the Swing Balls came to an end.

We caught up with Lee recently and he was pleased to see the tradition continuing. I asked him what prompted him to choose NYEE as the night to stage such a party instead of New Year's Eve.

 "It's cheaper to rent a venue the night before NYE when the clubs clean up and expect to make the most money for any single night. They generally don't have anything booked the night before because 'mainstream' people shoot their wad on NYE and don't usually go out the night before."

The event may have been born from convenience and an eye on keeping costs low, but ten years later, it has become much more.

Lo-Fi Lee is currently working on a book about the retro movement of the 90's which bubbled up from several scenes including lounge, ska and rockabilly - the pinnacle of this was the swing scene which brought the music, cocktails, dressing up, and dancing together into one beautiful package and was embraced by the mainstream for a few years before we turned the corner on the new millennium. 

The Salon, a party instigated by brothers Patrick and Andre Soluri picked up the New Year's Eve Eve mantle in 2006 throwing a dazzling fete on the west side that featured the Todd Londnigan Big Band, belly dancing, burlesque, and a farewell toast to the tommywhitetie.com lounge website. It was to be the last party for a while until the brothers joined forces with former Piano Store producers Prohibition productions and Loungerati to resurrected the event in 2009. What followed was the year's best attended party that packed two floors of the iconic Players Club on Gramercy Park.  

"We are not line around the block type people." exclaimed Andre when he surveyed the hundreds queuing up to get into the historic mansion. The line wrapped around the block to Park Avenue.

This year, The Salon continues the tradition at a new venue, called Rebel NYC (which is owned no less by the same group behind the Webster Hall). A fitting end cap to a decade of New Year's Eve Eve parties but certainly not an end to  the biggest night of the year.

On the bill for The Salon NYEE are special performances by:

The George Gee Swing Orchestra
featuring vocalists Hilary Gardner and John Dokes

Queen Esther & the Hot Five
Grand Prize Winner, Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, 2008

The Minsky Sisters
The '20's Tap Dancing Sensation

The Fried Bananas
Late night blues dance


Burlesque by

Miss Ruby Valentine

The Alabaster Beauty as seen on AMC's MadMen


Legz Malone
The Gal with the thirty four and a half inseam!

Dandy Wellington
Emcee Extraordinaire 

Cocktails by Eryn Reece of Mayahuel 
and Fredo of Loungerati

Plus DJs by Swing Remix
Spencer Weisbond and Paolo Lanna

New Year's Eve Eve Salon 2009

The Salon's signature commitment is equal billing for quality performances, dancing,  AND cocktail culture. This is quite fitting for a party that Patrick began 11 years ago while in graduate school at the University of Louisville in Kentucky - home of Bourbon Whiskey!

In that spirit of bon vivant, Loungerati's Fredo is quite honored to once again be included in The Salon's 2010 NYEE party as their in house cocktailian. On the libation front, we have special guest bartender Eryn Reece of the award winning Mayahuel cocktail bar joining me behind the stick.

This is the lounge and swing scene's biggest night out, so get dressed up, come see old friends, and meet new ones.

The Salon's Annual New Year's Eve Eve

at Rebel NYC Club

251 West  30th Street 

(btwn 7th and 8th Avenues)

New York, New York

21 and over please

Buy Tickets here

$20 - Early Advance Online (thru Dec 5th)
$25 - Advance Online (from Dec. 6th - Dec. 29th)
$30 - at the door (cash only)

Salon at Players Club Pictures

Our friend Joseph Henry Ritter, a photographer, artist, and author, attended the Salon at Players this past New Year's Eve Eve and took these great pictures. A big thanks to Joe! Happy New Year and enjoy the pics!

Some additional photos from Michael Soluri here.