Jug-band music evolved from busking on the street corner and from rent parties. The idea was to make people happy. The goal of this jam is to make people happy playing and or singing fun music. A fakebook will be provided. It contains a selection of about 20 classic jug-band and string-band blues songs, with words and chords. We will pick from among them to play. Most of the songs are either 3-chord blues forms, or ragtime circle-of-fifths numbers. Most are in the keys of C or G.
The Jug Band Jam, organized by California Jug Band Association, will be led by members of Jailhouse Stringband. Miller Wise is a strong singer, plays guitar and mandolin and is a whiz on kazoo. He has also performed with The Lucky Dogs, and Dave Matthews Blues Band. Born and raised in New Orleans, he has a sharp ear for quality performances of trad jazz, barrelhouse, jug band, and blues. Christopher Richard plays mandolin, currently working to adapt the role of the clarinet in trad jazz to string-band performance. He is President of the California Jug Band Association, and has played with Dr Zarcon’s Amazing Breathing Machine, Jugology, and Ukuletion. Members of those and other local jug bands will attend to keep a strong groove going.