Sometimes, these bands (and their fans) get wrapped up in the nostalgia of an era never to escape. (Anyone who saw the documentary Crumb knows that Robert Crumb has never really listened to a record produced after 1940.) But occasionally a band will delve back, take what they need and find a way to make the music sound fresh. Big Tubba Mista is that band.

Sure, with the double-breasted sharkskin suits, mile-wide ties, Bugsy Malone-era hats and the neverending jabber about fine cigars, scotch and women, it might be easy to write off Big Tubba Mista as more style than substance. But, this eight-piece swing confab, while definitely heavy on the style, is proving a powerful juggernaut even after only six short months of existence.

As soon as drummer Bob Brechbill counts off a song and the Wall of Flesh horns begin dance pirouettes around the jazz work of guitarist Erik Keptner and bassist Rick Gadd, it’s hard not to move your feet. As soon as vocalist/emcee/bandleader Jon Rohrer hits the bandstand and welcomes everyone to the dance floor, it doesn’t take long for the crowd to become as much a part of the show as the band.

“It is pretty amazing how quickly this took off,” says Gadd. “We were looking for something different to do and there was no one doing anything like this. Luckily, it gelled very quickly for us.”

Although swing is still a little foreign in Central Pennsylvania, the swing phenomenon continues to grow around the country. Typing “swing” on any internet search engine spews out a list of bands, clubs, events and concerts from areas as diverse as Tampa, Raleigh, Sacramento, Washington, D.C. and New York.

“It is really taking off in a lot of metropolitan areas,” says Brechbill. “But there are also many parts of the country where swing music continues to be the weekend event in town. It’s almost a way of life in some small towns.”

Perhaps the most ironic part of Big Tubba Mista’s creation is their origin. Brechbill, Gadd and Keptner all came from Last Call, a hardcore band that toured together for nearly ten years and released three albums and two singles on their own label, American Machine Music.

Although the jump from hardcore to swing may seem a bit extreme, it really was not that far of a leap. “When I learned to play drums as a kid, I learned swing,” explains Brechbill, a guitarist in Last Call. “Even though I hadn’t played drums in many years, swing is something I’ve always enjoyed.” “I’ve been a big jazz fan for many years," adds Keptner, "so in some ways, this is very natural for me.”

With Big Tubba Mista’s core in place, the band looked for the right members to complete the lineup. Rohrer, best known as the bassist/vocalist for cheese-rock masters Bubba, was tapped for lead vocals, and the lineup was completed with The Wall of Flesh Horns–Shawn Snavely (alto sax/clarinet), Matt Bowman (trumpet/flugelhorn), Mike Evans (tenor sax) and Parker Kenyon (trombone/trumpet/flugelhorn).

As a unit, the group runs like a well-oiled machine with Brechbill serving as the musical ringleader. The most intriguing thing about Big Tubba Mista, as evidenced at a recent Courtyard gig, is how lively the music is. The band is not content to sit back and give note-for-note renderings of classics, even though the style sometimes requires it. Whether ripping through classics like “In the Mood” or raunchier numbers like “My Baby’s Puddin,” Big Tubba Mista seems more interested in giving the music an edge and keeping it lively.

Right now, a typical evening set consists of about 60 percent original songs and 40 percent cover material. “In the beginning, we picked some well-known swing songs that were pretty easy, so our audience would know the songs,” explains Rohrer. “Lately, though, we’ve been working on a lot of original material and more complex covers.”

But whether complex or easy, a wide age range of music fans are coming out in droves to catch this swing thing. “I think some of our appeal right now is strictly curiosity,” says Gadd. “But once people see that we can really play swing, they enjoy the music.”

In fact Big Tubba Mista’s fanbase has grown so quickly and demanded so much, that the band is already working on a CD. Tentatively titled Sting of Swing, the CD is being recorded at Studio 213 in Mechanicburg with a mid-May release date. It will consist of studio tracks as well as a few live numbers.

But why the suits and the hat and the ties, and especially the two-tone shoes? “We feel there is a need to be as authentic as possible,” explains Rohrer. “I don’t think that we could pull this off in jeans and t-shirts. Although, I think everyone in the group will agree that we’re getting a bit carried away. We’re constantly looking for new suits and ties to outdo each other. It’s a little ridiculous.”

Asked if Big Tubba Mista are true swing innovators or merely swing imitators, Keptner is quick to remark, “something borrowed, something new,” while saxophonist Snavely feels much more adamant about Big Tubba Mista’s place among swing bands. “I don’t see anything we do as cover material, I see standards that we are interpreting into our own style,” explains Snavely. “Big bands have been doing this kind of stuff for years and years. We are putting a Big Tubba Mista stamp on this music, and I think we are doing a really great job.”