By Amber Morris and Paige Albright
Hundreds of people of all ages gathered and danced Saturday on the lawn of the Jason Russell House, home to the Arlington Historical Society, as musicians played 1920s, ’30s and modern jug band music on handmade instruments.
The Great Northeast Jug Band Festival featured regional bands including Miss Maybell & Her Ragtime Romeos and the All New Genetically Altered Jug Band. Event organizers said attendance has increased since the event debuted in 2019, even if many people in the crowd had never listened to jug band music before.
Jug band music emerged in the 1920s in southern African-American communities as a mixed genre of blues and folk with a unique sound. People used household items, such as washboards, spoons and empty jugs, to create music with a raspy, whizzy, jiggling flair. This enabled listeners to join in, as the only barrier to becoming a musician was the creativity to make your own instrument.
“Jazzy, bluesy, homemade,” is how Michael Buonaiuto, an organizer of the festival, described jug music. Buonaiuto is part of the Jug Nuts, a local jug band that played.
Among the spectators was Jim Kweskin, whose jug band played a significant role in the folk and blues revival of the 1960s.
“Jug band music is such fun,” Kweskin said. “Even if the band isn’t the greatest, it’s still fun. It’s what it’s all about.”
Amy Kucharik & Friends With Benefits performed original songs and covers. Kucharik got her first taste of jug music through Kweskin’s work. She said she was initially drawn to blues and swing but gravitated to jug music because of its accessibility and authenticity. Someone doesn’t have to have years of experience on an instrument to have a jug jam, she said.
“I think it’s cool because it’s such an approachable type of music,” Kucharik said. “The whole idea is that you’re just playing whatever instruments you have available to you. The best thing about it is it just gives people a chance to express what’s in their hearts and minds through music.”
A makers’ tent at the festival showcased instrument craftsmen. Many of the instruments on display and for sale were made from household items such as a canoe paddle or an old shoe.
Arlington resident Stanley Wolf makes ukuleles from cigar boxes. While his instruments look and sound professional, he said, they are actually affordable and simple.
Wolf has played various instruments his entire life. He got his start in instrument making after seeing a blues band at the Regent Theater. He was inspired by the history of these makeshift instruments.
In retirement, Wolf has taught groups of middle school students how to make cigar box ukuleles as part of an after-school program.
Jug music is defined by its homemade nature. The sounds are one of a kind, Kweskin said, and when they’re mixed with its roots in blues and swing, many people find the energy contagious.
“You can’t not smile when you play the bones,” said Stephen Brown, who’s been making bovine bone musical instruments for over 35 years. The instruments are crafted from bones of cattle and can be found across different cultures and eras, Brown said. Brown has lectured about rhythm bone playing and the history of it at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Diane Connor of Arlington listened to jug music live Saturday for the first time since the 1960s. Connor’s husband had made his own instrument with a broom and guitar strings.
“Jug band was a fun thing when I was growing up, and I was looking for any excuse to be outside today,” Connor said.
Residents from neighboring towns also attended the festival. “I’ve been listening to jug bands for a while now, but this is my first time hearing it in-person,” said Bob Parsons of Boxborough. As a fan of blues, he was introduced to jug music on YouTube.People who want more jug band music can find it in the back room at Arlington’s Donut Villa, which hosts a jug band jam on the second Tuesday of almost every month where the Jug Nuts perform. The event has grown in popularity, with around 60 people at the September jam.
This article was originally published on September 29, 2025.