Eight to the Bar Swing Band Heads to Georgia; the Republic of Georgia!

Former Cheshire resident Cynthia Lyon is the founder of Eight to the Bar, a swing and blues band that's performed at the town's annual summer music festival for at least 15 years. They return Friday to Cheshire Park for a free concert at 7 p.m.

Lyon talked about the band's latest album and their trip to the Republic of Georgia.

1) Who coordinated your trip to the Republic of Georgia?

It came out of the blue in the form of an email from a person who works at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Georgia. He said that someone in his office had passed him a link to our website and that he went online and liked our music.

2) You were doing swing before Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and other bands brought it back to mainstream. What gives the genre such staying power? 

My mother had been in a vocal trio with her 2 sisters during WWII. They did Andrews Sisters type music so I grew up listening to it. I combined that with my rock and roll influences and that's what gave me the concept when I started the band back in 1975.

3) Any changes in the band?

The only changes are that for our latest CD, "The Romper Room", everyone in the band stepped up (not just myself) and wrote great songs. There's only one cover tune on the whole CD (Christina Aguilera's "Candy Man") and I'm very proud of that CD and I think it's by far our best.

5) Favorite song to play? 

I like playing "The Romper Room," although sometimes it goes over the audience's head and is too subtle for them.

6) How did you get a start as a singer? 

I had always been singing around the piano with my family at home so it was a natural progression.

Eight to the Bar plays the final live performance of the 2011 Entertainment Under the Stars series on Friday at Cheshire Park from 7 p.m.

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