Jug band music. The words alone bring a smile to your face. In the history of music in America, how string band music morphed is a study in itself. Like ragtime, there is something inherently joyous written into the DNA of the jug band. Maybe it starts with the instruments being played, whatever is handy, to make the noises, whatever they might be. Then there is the cadence, the syncopation. It's just a little bit "off" somehow, but that is for sure part of its allure. When I was growing up, there was a particular time in the 60's in New York, where this was one of the forms bands were messing around with: Even Dozen Jug Band, Lovin' Spoonful, The Youngbloods, Jim Kweskin Jug Band with Geoff Muldaur. And here they are coming around again, yes indeed.

Geoff Muldaur and Jim Kweskin are teaming up for a rare co-headlining tour this fall. The two reconnected during the filming of the acclaimed 2009 documentary Chasin' Gus' Ghost, which explores the music of Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, with interviews, live performances, archival footage, and photography. It sets up the foundation for what was to come to be; the folk and rock movements of the 1960's. The film features Muldaur and Kweskin, and the Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, and includes footage from the 2006 concert in Tokyo, Japan, honoring the late Fritz Richmond. Chasin' Gus' Ghost is now out on DVD. Plus, Jug Band Extravaganza is available, too. It's a live concert album featuring Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, John Sebastian, David Grisman, Maria Muldaur, and The Barbecue Orchestra, recorded at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. A wonderful era to start digging into!

- Jessie Scott