Retro Entertainment: 16 Cover Bands Playing Music From the '20s to the '90s

Kicking out party-time cover songs by the likes of Madonna, Duran Duran, and Journey, eye-candy-heavy Rubix Kube features the New York-based group’s six members wearing loud ’80s threads and hairspray-lacquered ’dos. The five-year-old band counts Katie Couric and Debbie Gibson among its fans and has appeared on the Today show, Celebrity Apprentice, and Cake Boss.
You’ll hear: “Jessie’s Girl,” by Rick Springfield, and “Africa,” by Toto.

Listening to New York-based jazz ensemble Carte Blanche will make you feel like Owen Wilson’s character in Midnight in Paris after he stumbles back in time. The six-person group dresses in all-white vintage outfits, and their fans include David Stark and Martha Stewart.
You’ll hear: French and American jazz standards from the 1920s, plus Latin music à la Buena Vista Social Club.

New York-based vintage DJ Michael Cumella spins pre-electric 78-rpm records from the early 1900s on two hand-cranked century-old phonographs in Michael Cumella’s Crank-Up Phonograph DJ Experience.
You’ll hear: ragtime, jazz, blues, and artistic whistlers.

A regular at Los Angeles vintage hot spot the Cicada Club, Richard Halpern’s Jazz-Age Speakeasy Show bills its eponymous leader as “Mister Tin Pan Alley.” He offers a repertoire of old-timey 1920s standards that can be backed by prerecorded tracks, a pianist, or a full live orchestra.
You’ll hear: Al Jolson’s “I’m in Seventh Heaven.”

Native New Yorker George Gee formed his first big band orchestra in 1980 while a student at Carnegie Mellon University. Ten years later, he returned to New York City, where his 17-piece group George Gee Swing Orchestra continues to play swing, big band, and jazz. Gee’s so-called 10-piece “economy big band,” is also available for events.
You’ll hear: the best of greats like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller.

Specializing in swing and big band standards, vocalists and American Idol finalists John Stevens and Jen Hirsh front Beantown Swing Orchestra, an 18-piece Boston-based orchestra. Professional swing dancers can be added for demos and group lessons at events.
You’ll hear: “In the Mood” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Fronted by Ella Fitzgerald sound-alike Sheila Ford and U.S. Navy Band chief arranger Scott Ragsdale, Washington-based Raggs and the All-Stars maintains a classic 1940s look (think big band fronts and vintage tuxes). The core band has seven members but can be expanded with a vocal trio known as the Ragg Dolls, who perform Andrews Sisters hits.
You’ll hear: “It’s De-Lovely” and “Nice Work if You Can Get It.”

The seven-piece Blue Sky 5 sets the mood with American Lindy hop and swing from the 1930s and ’40s while wearing clothes tailored à la 1941. (Lead singer Christina Crerar moonlights as a vintage stylist.)
You’ll hear: Billie Holiday’s “I Wished on the Moon” and Benny Goodman’s “Gotta Be This or That.”

Singer Shawn Aileen Clark of Lapis Luna transports listeners back to a time when the voices of sultry jazz singers filled smoky lounges, backed by a diverse instrumentation that can include sax, trumpet, clarinet, fl ute, and vibraphone. The Brooklyn-based ensemble, which was featured in the retro-tinged ad campaign for Kate Spade’s Twirl perfume, specializes in hot jazz, blues, bebop, and bossa nova.
You’ll hear: Gene Kelly’s “Almost Like Being in Love” and Nina Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me.”

Formed in 2001 to perform in front of the Mel’s Drive-In at Universal Studios, the four-person doo wop group Double Date sings half-hour a capella sets of 1950s pop hits. The Orlando-based ensemble wears Grease-inspired outfits (poodle skirts for the ladies, cuffed jeans and Converse for the guys).
You’ll hear: Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party.'

Spot-on Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin impersonators sing their respective hits in the Rat Pack Tribute. The Las Vegas-based act can be performed as a 60-to-75-minute show with a visit from a faux Marilyn Monroe, or as a shorter opening-reception bit.
You’ll hear: “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Candy Man,” and “That’s Amore.”

Chicago-based Beatles sound-alike act American English has performed everywhere from Liverpool to Japan for corporate clients including Volvo and Motorola. The group also employs a live keyboardist for orchestrations and sound effects. Costume changes span from Ed Sullivan (suits and skinny ties) to Sgt. Pepper (psychedelic) to Abbey Road (hippies).
You’ll hear: “Let It Be” and “She Loves You.”

Ten-piece Boogie Wonder Band has been performing together since 1996, sharing the stage with ’70s legends like Gloria Gaynor and Kool & the Gang, and playing at events for Sharpie, Levi’s, and Cirque du Soleil. Based in Montreal, they tour throughout Canada and the U.S., playing a funk- and disco-heavy set list while wearing leisure suits and afro wigs. 
You’ll hear: Rose Royce’s “Car Wash” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.”

Four-man group Flashback Heart Attack sports slick-looking red leather suits while delivering authentic-sounding covers of ’80s anthems. Based in Orange County, California, the band has performed for companies like Red Bull, Ford, and T-Mobile, and recently headlined the Birds Nest at the 2012 WM Phoenix Open alongside Will.i.am and the Goo Goo Dolls. 
You’ll hear: Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself,” and the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”

The two-hour “Saved by the ’90s” show has the four-piece New York-based Bayside Tigers wearing outfits that would make Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski proud, while covering a songbook that ranges from pop to grunge.
You’ll hear: “I Want It That Way,” by the Backstreet Boys, and “You Oughta Know,” by Alanis Morissette.

Billed as a ’90s party band, Lovefool can dress in grunge wear and perform a genre-spanning set that includes Britney Spears and Salt-N-Pepa.
You’ll hear: “Possum Kingdom,” by the Toadies, and “Love Rollercoaster,” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.