The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band is Back!

Pack up your whole family for this one. The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band again brings their fun loving sound and songs to Sussex County Community College’s “Thursdays on the Green,” July 27 at 6:45 p.m. The performance will take place on the Connor Green, rain or shine. The evening of music is free and the public is invited to attend. Please bring your own blanket or chair to enjoy the performance. The unique musical form known as jug band music had its beginnings in the United States among southern black musicians during the 1920’s. While the backbone of the jug band sound was the blues, the repertoires of these bands were gathered from a wide variety of musical styles including country-dance, string band, ragtime, jazz and popular music. These songs often had a light-hearted, comical, ribald flavor. In addition to playing standard blues instruments like the guitar and harmonica, The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band uses instruments more commonly associated with country string bands, like the fiddle, banjo and mandolin. But, the cardinal feature of their music (and the origin of the name “jug band”) is the use of a variety of homemade instruments that produce unusual melodic and rhythmic colorings. These instruments include the kazoo, washboard, washtub bass, spoons and, of course, the empty whiskey jug. There’s just one remaining “Thursdays on the Green,” event at SCCC. Don’t miss the August 16 performance by Trio Globo (Contemporary Acoustic Jazz). This is a special Thursdays on the Green to Celebrate SCCC’s 25th Anniversary which begins at 6 p.m. “Thursdays on the Green” is supported by sponsors, including: Lakeland Bank, Sussex Bank, van den Heuvel & Fountain, Inc., James Alexander, and the Newton Rotary. All of the “Thursdays on the Green” performances are free and the public is invited to attend. Refreshments are available for purchase, with proceeds from concession sales benefiting scholarships at the College. For further information please call Cultural Affairs at 973-300-2120, or visit the SCCC web site at www.sussex.edu.