Bones Jugs

Description

Quirky songwriting, blazing xylophone, jug and kazoo buzzing, banjos galore, Bones Jugs is sure to bring a smile to your face. It's a 21st century jugband mash-up, in a 1-man-band duet. An Americana variety show from Urbana, IL.

Work Sample

This is a live performance of an original Bones Jugs composition written in the jug band style.  We utilize typical jug band instrumentation including jug, kazoo, banjos.

This is a live performance of an original Bones Jugs composition written in the ragtime style for xylophone.  This is a less common quartet version of the band.

This is a live performance of a reinterpretation of a song originally recorded by the Nassau String Band in the Bahamas in the 1930s.  It retains elements of the original Carribean style, later jazz elements from New Orleans based groups, and our jug band stamp.

The three videos submitted show many of the instruments we play, and several of the styles in which we play them.  They show a mix of some of our original compositions as well as music from the 1920s and 1930s.  Unfortunately, we do not have any videos to show our work leading workshops, lectures, demonstrations.  

History

Bones Jugs was founded in 2013 in Urbana, Illinois.  Early inspirations were the Memphis Jug Band and acclaimed ragtime xylophonist George Hamilton Green.  We have played nearly 1000 shows across the United States in diverse settings including: performing arts centers, libraries, bar/restaurants, farmer's markets, music festivals, schools, etc.  We have also presented masterclasses at the University of Illinois, Millikin University, Lawrence University, McNeese State University, Illinois State University, and others.  We have led instructional workshops on how to play the rhythm bones at the National Jug Band Jubilee, the CU Folk and Roots Festival, and many schools.  We were guest artists for the Nequa Valley High School Drum Show in 2017.  Bones Jugs was featured in the independent documentary/mockumentary Jug Band Hokum, alongside notable figures such as Dom Flemons, Garrison Keillor, Mand Michael Jones.

Artistic Vision

The group began with the vision of being a pop-up acoustic party on street corners, at farmers markets, in living rooms , or amplified in a club.  Bones Jugs is part of the jug band tradition, but not stuck in a moment in time.  We continue to write new music, teach people about "America's Happiest Music," and bring the xylophone back to a place of prominence!