The Ugly Bug Band

The Ugly Bug Band is just plain fun, no capital “f” or nothing, just a good time with clarinets and trombones and trumpets. They got together because something was lacking in their lives, or because imminent adulthood had made everyone take themselves too seriously. The Bugs don’t do that. In fact, the Ugly Bug Band is the perfect band to be playing at a friendly, no-attitude party—you know, the kind that you and your friends show up at, and you don’t know anyone at first, and then the rug gets shoved back and everyone’s dancing with goofy grins on their faces and pretty soon you’re just one of the gang, smiling at all your new friends.

For the past decade the Ugly Bug Band has been playing around Toronto. They’ve played weddings, parties, anti-war demonstrations, Polish Legion halls, and alleyways. They’ve played Clintons, the Cameron, the Tranzac, Mitzi’s Sister, the Elmo, the Horseshoe, the and lots of other places too. They’ve made six year olds dance ecstatically on couches. They’ve made a NOW magazine scribe struggle for words. (The ones she came up with were “geeky high school marching band.” Not too far off the mark.) They’ve written songs about monkeys, Jewish cowboys, Greek bouzouki players, and—always—falling in love.