Dancin' Nancys
History
The beginnings of the Dancin' Nancys can be traced to the Summer of 2001, when Jan Flexon and Carol Cody first met at the “National Women's Music Festival” at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. It wasn’t long after this initial meeting that Jan and Carol’s path’s crossed again, meeting at several different music venues, while both were playing with other bands. Jan and Carol soon got together and jammed (Jan on guitar/vocals and Carol on hand drums and percussion). At this point, Jan was writing songs continuously; they soon came to realize that they had a common bond with the style of music they were playing and the songs that Jan was writing. After months of jamming, Jan booked them a few gigs around the Indianapolis area and enlisted several other musicians to perform with them. While they played their first gig together, a group of people started dancing around in front of them. Two of the women dancing were named Nancy and the other was a friend who was an “honorary” Nancy. After the show, someone asked what the name of the band was; they said they didn't have a name, so someone suggested they call themselves the Dancin' Nancys. And thus, was born the band's name. Over the years the supporting musicians have come and gone; but, Carol and Jan have remained, staying committed to making original music as the “Dancin' Nancys”. The current members are Jan Flexon (vocals, guitar, mandolin, and native flute), Carol Cody (hand drums and percussion), Sam Bennett (lead guitar), Ana Garcia (keyboards, harp, and flute), Jordan Nelson (violin and beat boxing), and Erin Greywolf (bass). Jan is a Native American from the mountains of western Virginia, where she grew up listening to bluegrass and Native American music. This can be heard in her songs and arrangement of instruments. She has incorporated the native flute, mandolin, harmonica, and piano, to create a very haunting sound. Her vocals are deep and passionate, and when she sings, she opens her heart to take the listener on a journey. She describes her music as Native Alternative- Folk Rock. To read more complete biographies of Jan and Carol, you can visit the Arts In Irvington web site (Artists and Artisans section). Here is a link to it:: |