It may sound like we’ve taken a step back in time, but this is Ventura County, 2023, and the Swing Dolls are rehearsing their harmonies ahead of playing a free concert in Thousand Oaks on July 4th.
"The Swing Dolls are a 1940's style Andrews Sisters style tribute group," explained Kara Freeman, the alto in the vocal group. "We are the pre-eminent vocal group of our kind in the country."
The Andrews sisters sold an estimated 80 million records and their songs are still influential today, being recorded by Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera and more, and The Swing Dolls are breathing life into the classic Andrews sisters’ hits of the 1940s.
Natalie Holt MacDonald, soprano 2 in the Swing Dolls, said the July 4th date is a match made in heaven for the group.
"They [The Andrews Sisters] went overseas and encouraged our troops during that time so July 4th is the perfect time to listen to all that wonderful music from that time period," said Holt MacDonald.
Freeman says they try to keep their versions as close to the originals as possible.
"The interesting thing about music at that time was that the radio was invented just before that so all of a sudden you have this way for the troops to connect to their families back home that they've never had before. So it was really used as a tool to unite the country," said Freeman.
"For the most part it has this exuberance about it where they just wanted to lift spirits and there's nothing like their music of their sound so we try to emulate that as much as possible."
"There's nothing like the Andrews Sisters sound and harmonies and their lyrics," agreed Samantha Dunn, the soprano in the group.
Dunn said that oftentimes the Andrews Sisters songs would only be written the day before they would record them, and they'd improvise their harmonies and parts in the studio.
This is just a rehearsal, so The Swing Dolls are without their 1940s costumes but at their live shows, as much effort goes into recreating the “look” with traditional attire and choreography, as it does their flawless vocals.
"There's much involved in the look as well," said Freeman. "We try to be very period accurate. We update it here and there and put our own spin on it but we try to take it mostly from that time," she said.
The band – which are based right here in the Tri-Counties – found the perfect Ventura County location for their recent music video for When Johnny Comes Marching Home.
"We recorded at CAF SoCal," said Freeman of the air museum in Camarillo. "It was the most fun. These planes are an awesome part of history," she said.
The Swing Dolls will take to the stage from 5-7pm on Tuesday July 4th at Conejo Community Park in Thousand Oaks.
