Club Template

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Over All Score:
Location:	4500 Los Feliz, Los Feliz
Phone:	(213) 663-8979
How Much:	$5.00 to $7.00
Who:	Twenty-One and Over
When:	Every Single Night
Lessons:	9:00 p.m.
Music Starts:	10:00 p.m.
Floor Quality:	Low
Promoters Comments:	None
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Ladies and gentlemen it is places like the Derby that keep what we do happening! Yes, it is probably the trendiest swing spot in the world, but its really the only place we can mess with the tourist! This is where you try out your "making room" techniques and dirty trip tricks. This is where a no good dance bum can be just that. The back room is where it's at, in the dogs corner. Jams galore where the locals kick back and welcome any out of towners into a Cutting Contest. Hell, this place sounds like the Bamboo Room on Hollywood Blvd. around 1941!!! A small, crowded and smoky Juke Joint with locals like Dean Collins, Lenny Smith, and Hal Takier kicking ass on out of towners in contests and jams sessions. Sorry, all you guys, but I give "The Derby" a big A+ for being the most authentic joint with the hottest action and best bands, 7 damn nights a week! See you in the back corner...
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-Peter Loggins: July 1st, 1998
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Well Reuben, I think you pretty much have that place pegged dead on. The people that are there are definitely there because swing is the "in" thing to do. I have to say though, that the prices are cheap: $7 on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, $5 every other day. The bands that they get are for the most part pretty good. The are the ones to have "discovered" Royal Crown Revue and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy... The dance floor in the front room, by the stage, is very small; maybe big enough for 4 couples. But, they do have a back room that is big enough for a bunch of people. However, make sure to watch out for those who don't know how to dance; it's rock-step, not "step-back-and-kill-anything that-gets-in-the-way." Many of the "local" dancers are very friendly and welcome good dancers from near and far. The Derby is a cool place to experience at least once...if you like it great; if you don't, well, there is always other places to go...
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-Jofflyn Valencia: May 15th, 1998
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The Derby is the single most over-rated swing club around. Everyone wants to go there, yet almost everyone there does not know how to dance. This is a lounge not a place to go swing dancing. True, some of the best bands in the country play here, but don't expect to be able to dance to them. The floor is small and the place is packed with people trying to catch up on the latest trend. The people that go to The Derby are what is responsible for me giving this club such a low rating. Everyone knows I hate people who try to jump on the band wagon, and The Derby is the total essence of this attitude.
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-Reuben Brown: April 16th, 1998