New Members
Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur
10-7-2016Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur are back, playing gigs and bringing knowing smiles to the faces of their fans. OK, I'll forgive you if you've never heard of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. Their records are hard to find and their mention in the annals of history is slim. BUT their influence is huge. The Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish and the Lovin' Spoonful were all HEAVILY influenced by the Kweskin Jug band. A lesser influence can be seen in dozens if not hundreds of other musicians, including Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, who were the unofficial succesors to the Kweskin Band's legacy. Lastly, pretty much anyone calling themselves a Jug Band (or counting washboards, jugs, & kazoos among their instuments) since the '60s has been more or less an imitation of the Kweskin's group. The Dead, and groups like the Lovin’ Spoonful not only went for the Kweskin Jug Band’s music but also its ‘anti-show biz’ look… no more matching striped T-shirts and rehearsed jokes. It was finally okay to wear street clothes and be natural on stage. The Kweskin Band’s jug player, Fritz Richmond, brought his skinny, hipster persona to the folk and folk-rock scenes for all to emulate - his granny glasses becoming the look for The Birds, John Lennon and many others.
Although Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band appeared to have a laid back, spontaneous approach, the group was not an easy one to copy. Their music seemed simple, but was often complex. Aside from Fritz Richmond’s impossibly wonderful jug and washtub bass playing, two of the most distinctive qualities of the band were Jim Kweskin’s clean, rhythmic finger picking and Geoff Muldaur’s emotional, quavering voice. To this day, no one plays guitar like Jim Kweskin and no one sings like Geoff Muldaur.
After many years apart, Jim and Geoff were brought back together in 2006 for a Fritz Richmond memorial concert in Tokyo and their chemistry was instantly re-activated. They’ve been doing select dates as a duo since then. Jim has honed his dazzling guitar skills, developing new arrangements of American folk and jazz material. Geoff returned to full-time performing in the late nineties with his much-heralded album, “The Secret Handshake”, followed by a stunning live recording from Bremen, “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere”.
When it comes to acoustic folk, blues, and ragtime, Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur are unparalleled exponents of the best aspects of American music.
Listen to the Kweskin Jug Band HERE
Read "Stumbling into Jugband or How I learned to be a Viper"
* Jim Kweskin & Geoff Muldaur (at Bul...
Date and Time
Friday Oct 7, 2016
