Jug Band Festival
The Great Northeast
Jug Band Festival
SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, May 2, 2020
Arlington Masonic Temple
19 Academy Street, Arlington, MA 02476
New England’s first-ever annual jug band festival will highlight traditions from the 1920’s and 30’s, and the modern evolution of this good-time music.
What’s Jug Band Music?
It’s bluesy, jazzy, and fun! With roots from Appalachia, New Orleans, and Africa, jug band music started in the south (notably Louisville Kentucky and Memphis Tennessee) in the 1920’s and 30’s. Highly popular "back in the day", jug bands such as Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers and the Memphis Jug Band incorporated a variety of conventional and home-made instruments (such as spoons, washtub bass, and washboard), and, of course, featured jug-blowing as a rhythmic backbone. Jug band music could have quietly slid into obscurity if not for a revival in the 1960’s by notable musicians such as John Sebastian, Jerry Garcia, Jim Kweskin, and Maria Muldaur. Today, the genre is alive and well, as you’ll get to hear and see when you come to the festival.
This event features free workshops and activities for ticket holders and presents performances by five of the region's best Jug Bands!
Check out some of the highlights from the first annual event: