The Busted Jug Band to Performs A Live In-Person Show At The Historic Theater

The Busted Jug Band is ready to bust out, out of their mandated physical performance constraints, that is. After almost a year of playing it safe, the popular 5-member Boston-based band arrives in Portsmouth on the first day of Spring, raring to go, celebrating that still hard-to-come-by opportunity of playing in-person to a live audience, who will be guaranteed a thoroughly great time, without any personal safety concerns.

The Busted Jug Band's performances are a festive fun(ny) musical romp through the oldie times, playing swing, country blues, ragtime, early jazz standards, hillbilly and novelty music, on an assortment of instruments, that include everything from washboard to mandolin to rubber chickens. Their repertoire harkens back to the 20's and 30's of the last century, all delivered with the band's contagious high energy. In the course of their ear and eye catching presentation, the capper is their ability to also keep their derbies and top hats on throughout.

The irony of performing tunes that roared up out of another quarantined era 100 years ago is definitely not lost on the band. Especially since their originally scheduled 2020 performances included headlining the Great Northeast Jug Band Festival in the Boston-area, followed by an in-person concert at the National Jug Band Jubilee down in Louisville, KY. Needless to say, all those plans were suddenly dashed.

The eager to roll Busted Jug Band features the excellent musical antics of Smiling Hernando (Pee Wee), Dr. Kayola O'La, Early Bird, Rude Boy, and Lefty Boom-Boom - perhaps not their real names (?!). But, more importantly, their infectious music is inspired by the swinging rhythms, novel instrumentation, and group vocals that arose out of the street bands of yore.

The Busted Jug Band's performances highlight tunes of the classic Black jug and string bands of Memphis and Mississippi, and the small swing bands and vocal groups of New Orleans and the urban North. A potpourri of styles that when congealed on stage constitute a rewarding presentation of what is oftentimes referred to as "poor man's jazz."

The Busted Jug Band. Live in-person performance. Saturday, March 20, 8:00 pm. Tickets (for limited socially distanced seating): $32. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, NH 03801. For information: (603) 436-2400, themusichall.org; advance tix: themusichall.secure.force.com/ticket/#/.