Speak-Easy

The Dakota Tavern has always cultivated an old-timey atmosphere with its posters and live music. But Thursday night, a time-traveler from the past wouldn't feel out of place. There were men in suits and fedoras and women in flouncy dresses, though they might look askanced at some of the more hirsute and tatttooed males.

To the Dixie-land rhythm of her song Too Crazy, Tia Brazda bounced up on stage in a polka-dot dress, with a beret perched jauntily over her scarlet hair. With the exception of the torchy Thief In The Night, she led the dancing crowd through energetic swing/early rock-and-roll original numbers such as Man Up, Cabin Fever, and Waste of Time. She covered an obscure Peggy Lee song called Yeah Yeah Yeah. Though the space was a bit tight, it didn't stop people from trying to dance The Twist, The Charleston, and other retro styles.