The Dancing Cigarettes was a popular, prolific new wave band in Bloomington between 1979 and 1983, when they played live throughout the Midwest and east coast.  Their sound was characterized by off kilter melodies and challenging but danceable time signatures, and made more intriguing by the fact that most of the members sang and contributed material. They recorded frequently, but suffered from a lack of vinyl releases during their time which could have helped them sustain commercially; only one 7″ EP on Gulcher Records and a track on Gulcher Records’ Red Snerts LP were released when they were in existence, along with several band-released cassettes. Posthumously, three full length albums have been released, which, combined account for much of their extensive repertoire.  A live video recorded at Jake’s is as yet unreleased.

The band’s origins were in Bluffton, Indiana as The Barn Boys.  After moving to Bloomington, the band filled out its membership and became the Dancing Cigarettes.  Keyboardist Jaclyn Oddi left in 1980.  Following the band’s breakup in 1983, some members moved to NYC and released cassettes under the Large Door name.  Tim Noe released cassettes under the name Latent Chaos after moving to Muncie.  John Terrill, the only member now living in Bloomington, has played with several bands, including the Special Guests, The Rosebloods, The Walking Ruins, ABC Gum and has released solo material under his name.