The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band is back

Sussex County — Sussex County Community College’s “Thursdays on the Green,” presents The Dirdy Birdies Jug Band at 6:45 p.m. on July 27. The performance will take place on the college Green, rain or shine. Please bring your own blanket or chair. The unique musical form known as jug band music had its beginnings in the United States among southern black musicians during the 1920s. 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. “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. Call 300-2120 or visit www.sussex.edu.