PROVINCETOWN – When the Provincetown Carnival Parade, with the theme of Comic Book Capers, ended and the world’s superheroes were looking for entertainment, there was plenty to be found, and not just among each other. There was music in the air.
There was a Cape Cod Wave’s favorite street performer that we have ever seen anywhere, the incredible Will Harrington. Further down, in front of Town Hall was a perfect band to find after a day of fantasy and comic book characters – a really fun jug band. Here are the email words of the star of the washboard, David Katz, describing Uncle Jack’s Rompin’ Stompers:
Uncle Jack’s Rompin’ Stompers is a group of lifelong friends who started playing jug band music together in high school in Baltimore. Uncle Jack was their affectionate name for their homeroom teacher.
As kids growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, they were inspired by such jug band luminaries as Jim Kweskin and Dave Van Ronk and the Ragtime Jug Stompers. The Jim Kweskin jug band recorded hits like Crazy Words, Crazy Tune, Sadie Green, and Ukulele Lady. Dave Van Ronk was known for Everybody Loves my Baby, Stealin’, and Take it Slow and Easy. Other big influences were Jessie Fuller (San Francisco Bay Blues) and Ramblin Jack Elliott (I Belong to Glasgow.)
They gathered in P’town for carnival week for a reunion, and to support one member whose wife is a patient at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Performances in front of Town Hall Wednesday and Thursday drew big crowds who generously filled their guitar cases with contributions to Dana Farber..
The members of the band are David Hoffman of Boston and Truro on the guitar, Eddie Gold of Charleston SC (kazoo and vocals) Bill and Laura Glasner of Victor, NY, (autoharp and jug) Robbie Solomon (banjo and mandolin,) David and Ivy Berney (washtub bass, tambourine, kazoo and vocals) all of Baltimore, and David Katz of Kauai on washboard and kazoo.”
Here they are playing, “Coney Island Washboard,” by the Jim Kweskin Jug Band.
– If you like Cape Cod music, here is a story that Cape Cod Wave did on the Cape Cod original music scene. We interviewed 20 musicians, four club owners, and two radio deejays – Cape Cod Music And The Joy Of Being Originally Alive
And here is a link to our growing collection of local music videos – 2-Minute Video
Please like us on Facebook.
— Brian Tarcy
