Editor’s note: “Behind The Scenes” is an occasional series which examines the various music scenes in Columbus. Surprise! There’s a lot going on in Cowtown. The first installment focuses on the swing scene.

It jumps, it jives, it wails, and it is taking over everything from Gap commercials to the dance scene at many local bars. Swing is even taking over record sales at area music stores.”People are tired of noise. They want to hear musicians who can play their instruments,” said Scott Moore, a sales associate for Camelot Music. “Grunge was three chords and a lot of noise. Swing actually takes talent to make the music.”According to Moore, the Brian Setzer Orchestra and the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies both have had high album sales at the Dublin Camelot store. Sales of swing albums have been “going through the roof,” he said.But record stores are not the only places you can find great swing music. “Swing nights” have appeared at many local clubs, including the Red Zone, Counterfeit Heist, Chelsie’s and to the Bannana Joe’s on Bethel Rd. Russ Jurg, director of marketing and promotions for Bannana Joe’s, said it was just time for swing to reemerge.”Rock ‘n’ roll, pop and R&B have been around for 20 years straight, and now swing is just recycling itself,” he said. “It has a pretty good beat to it and the groups have added in some of today’s culture.”Bannana Joe’s, 2640 Bethel Rd., will offer “Ladies Swing and Wing Thursday,” with a free swing lesson taught from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio from 8 to 9 p.m., and a live swing band from 9 p.m. to close. Sponsored by Budweiser and CD101, the thursday swing nights will also include drink specials for ladies, as well as wing specials served by staff members dressed in zoot suits and flapper costumes.Bannana Joe’s is just the latest bar to join in the swing dancing craze. Mike Gallicchio, co-owner of the Red Zone, said his club draws 100 to 150 people every wednesday for the weekly swing night, and around 800 people the first thursday of every month for CD101’s “Swing for Charity.” The swing nights at the Red Zone also include a free swing lesson from the Arthur Murray studio and a live swing band.Gallicchio credits the comeback of swing to the way it allows people to interact together.”I think if you watch the people, they can dance together. They learn the steps together, and it’s fun for them. It’s like an organized activity. People can bring dates and have fun together,” he said.Those who attend the swing nights agree. “I like swing dancing because it is something that couples can do. It is still somewhat physical, but it is very innocent. And the music is hyper and energetic, which gets people going,” said Abigail Brown, a 1998 Ohio State graduate and an occasional visitor to the Red Zone swing night.”The nice thing about swing dancing is it really doesn’t exclude anyone. Everyone can do it,” said Mike Neyer, franchisee and owner of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. In addition to teaching the free swing lessons at the Red Zone and Bannana Joe’s, the studio also teaches its own swing and latin dance classes that are open to the public.For those who are thinking of trying their feet at swing dancing, Jon Devlin, of Jon Devlin’s Manhattan Rythym Club, had this advice: “Be comfortable. The main thing is what you wear on your feet. Running shoes are a no-no. Don’t wear slingback shoes either. Keds or deck shoes are the best bet.”Even if you have never tried swing dancing before, you may pick it up faster than you think, Devlin said. “It varies on the individual. Have you ever danced before? Have you ever done aerobics, or been athletic? That will all help when trying to learn any kind of dance,” he said.”Swing dancing is great because you can do it as a couple, it has a great rhythm, and the bands are really good,” said Cassandra Porter, a senior majoring in communications.13 O’Clock, a swing band composed of Jesse McNamara, Larz Raymand and David Adams, plays the Wednesday swing night at the Red Zone. McNamara agreed that the quality of the music and the way people can dance together give swing a special appeal. He added that people seem to like dancing to a live band better than to prerecorded music. Wolfgang Parker, singer and basist in the band of the same name, hopes that swing bands will focus on taking the music to a new level. Simply playing old cover tunes lacks the creativity and invention for which the music was intended, according to Parker. “Progress is the future and there is no future in a revival,” said Parker. “If you’re going to go out and do something that Bennie Goodman did 20 years ago, you’re wasting my time. It has already been done,” he said.”People are looking for something new, but when it is not there, they go back to the old,” said Joe Ruberto, owner of the Counterfeit Heist, regarding the resurgence of swing. The Counterfeit Heist, located at 2619 N. High St., hosts a Saturday swing night each week, with a swing lesson from 9 to 10 p.m. and a live band from 10 p.m. to close every Saturday.