Wahoo Skiffle Crazies

As the fallout from last week's massive earthquake in Haiti continues to progress, to devastating effect, the music world is rallying around the cause. We've reported about how Arcade Fire and Fucked Up are doing their part. Now, many more artists and other industry folks have joined the effort to raise money and awareness for the crisis in Haiti. Below, we have compiled a guide to some of the Haiti benefits that are currently in the works. Hopefully, more will follow.


-- On January 27, Brooklyn's Bell House will host a benefit for Save the Children and Partners in Health. Ted Leo, the Wrens, Sondre Lerche, Here We Go Magic, Cold War Kids, and the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies will play, and New Pornographers frontman A.C. Newman will team up with the Old 97's Rhett Miller and Nicole Atkins under the name the Seekers UPDATE: They are actually performing as a Seekers cover band, and Charles Bissell of the Wrens will join them. Jimmy Fallon and New York State Senator Diane Savino will be on hand, as will NY1's Pat Kiernan and comedians Eugene Mirman and Todd Barry.
- Pitchfork

STATEN ISLAND, NY--The arts and the preponderance of human vice has always been at least indirectly connected, from "Carmina Burana" to Western saloons and grand, revealing musical revues on the Las Vegas Strip. When those vices serve to fund the arts, one might argue that at least a little bit of moral balance is being struck on behalf of good.

So it’s comforting to see the locals getting out ahead of the game with an all-out fundraiser this weekend for City Parks Department’s Van Duzer Days 2011, that starts with — yes — a poker tournament.

This early fund-raiser starts at 7 p.m. in Full Cup, (388 Van Duzer St., Stapleton; 718-442-4224; FullCupSI.com).

The tournament buy-in is $75 and admission to the venue is free. Also featured: Drink specials, food, raffles, standup comedy and a host of local music acts from jazz and folk to heavy rock.

Hilarity will arrive via local writer and comedian James Harris. A nice mix of musical guests, including Jerrold Kavanagh’s jazz ensemble, quirky songstress Phoebe Blue, post-hardcore act Audiometry, indie rockers Plastic Passion, and local jug band Wahoo Skiffle Crazies will close out with the help of Darth DJ — a.k.a. AJ Pantaleo of noise rock group In Buenos Aires.

Whether you go to gamble, to give, or both (as losing poker players will), you’ll be doing so for a good cause. All proceeds go to benefit Van Duzer Days, a growing annual summer event that sees blocks of Van Duzer around Beach streets shut down to car traffic for a host of arts activities; effectively a family-friendly block party that takes place over several weekends each summer
- Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, NY--The long-running joke of the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies is that they are Staten Island's best and only jug band. This is definitely true, and made more obvious by the band's new album.

Last week, with a show at Martini Red, the band released it's first LP in 5 years: "Strange Tales of the Amazing Platypus." On Saturday, the group will continue to push the recording into the city's atmosphere, with a show at Brooklyn's new and excellent venue The Rock Shop. (The show will also feature a noted but secret Brooklyn-based country-fried singer/hip-hop artist. Show up to find out).

Anyone who has heard the multitudinous Skiffle Crazies play in recent years will recognize plenty of the material on "Amazing Platypus." After a long opening track of Time Bandits-like space-meets-industrial-revolution-seafaring-noise, the group launches into one of their standards, "Beach Street Mess Around." It's a rabble-rousing local neighborhood anthem, made even more wobbly Brian McGowan's great saw playing (a near constant and enjoyable sound through the album), and a great introduction to the band.

"Amazing Platypus" goes on like that, melding bandmembers' love for depression era rags, old time music, and folky protest songs with more contemporary nods and plenty of local color. Sometimes they do their own take on a traditional, like fictional train song with chantey harmonies, "Wabash Cannonball." Or they'll combine their own lyrics with something done by another jug band--like the mid-tempo "Van Doozy Days," which combines lyrical love for Van Duzer Street with a tune by Memphis Jug Band.

But some of the best stuff comes in the CD's originals; the lazy, plucky banjo tune by

Carl Gallagher, "Kentucky Derby Day," is an immediate favorite, not only for its simplicity in arrangement, but for having an obvious effortless origin (I'm guessing an incredibly hot, slightly drunk, summer afternoon). And the instrumental "Platypus" interludes, while offering more of a histrionic semblance of a concept album than anything actually tying the thing together thematically, do offer a respite from the band's more grating tendencies (playing too much, too often, sounding too samey, etc.).

Still, if you're not into the Wahoos' particular kind of music, you shouldn't be listening anyway, and those who know what they've signed up for will definitely enjoy this album. Engineered and produced by ever-busy local Joe Pecora at his Red Room Studio, the recording sounds mostly clear--a feat for a band that operates with a regular and purposeful element of cacophony. Even the strangest instruments take solos, from Rob Yuzuk's kazoo to Dan Gallagher's bucket bass, and that's the kind of everybody-gets-some socialism we can all appreciate, right?

All in all, "Strange Tales of the Amazing Platypus" may not exactly divulge too much of the reasoning behind its name. The Amazing Platypus is a early 20th century boat, perhaps, a comical Titanic bound for tragedy on which the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies are the house band? It's up to the listener to decide. But Chris Sorrentino's illustrations--great as always--give you some hints. And really, does it matter? The band's proletarian aesthetic, their history-conscious documentation of the modern neighborhood bacchanalia, is unique and enjoyable. Steal yourself a copy, pop it in, raise your cup and raise your voice with the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies...and imagine the crackle of an old phonograph as you do it.

What: Wahoo Skiffle Crazies with Young Empires and Jirapah plus a "special guest"
When: 8 p.m. Saturday Aug. 14
Where: The Rock Shop, 249 4th Ave, Park Slope-ish, Brooklyn
How Much: $10
More info: 718-230-5740, TheRockShopNY.com

- Staten Island Advance

MUSIC: Odd band out
by Ben Johnson
Thursday April 03, 2008, 1:00 AM

The one & only jug band of Staten Island is a welcome loner to the scene, but everyone can get into Wahoo Skiffle Crazies

Wahoo Skiffle Crazies don’t belong.

Look around at Staten Island’s music scene and you will see plenty of other kinds of bands. Cover bands. Hard rock, metal, punk, emo, indie, singers and songwriters, jazz and blues. Every genre has a group of peers. But the Skiffle Crazies don’t really fit in anywhere.

It’s OK though -- they obviously like it that way. Ask any member who attends the group’s gig at Every Thing Goes Book Cafe tonight, and they’ll proudly tell you themselves; they’re Staten Island’s premier jug band.

"I think we sort of represent an interesting nexus of tribes that have been on Staten Island for a long time," says the Crazies’ apparent leader, singer and ukulele-er, Frank Williams, 34. "I think right now, those tribes are coming together."

During a recent rehearsal in the basement space the group shares with rock band Happy Anarchy, almost every member of Wahoo Skiffle Crazies was present -- except, ironically, lone jug player Teddy Oakford -- and Williams’ point was borne out. Former and current members of bands like Monte Love, Heavy Weather, The Lakes and others had gathered in a circle with a strange assortment of acoustic instruments to practice and talk about the band’s beginnings.

"We’ve been playing about five years now," says Laura Bruij-Williams, 27, the band’s washboard and harmonica player who lives with husband Frank in Port Richmond Center. "We’re as old as the war."

At this comment, Heavy Weather guitarist Carl Gallagher -- who at this rehearsal cradles a lap steel guitar with a metal slide -- pipes up. "Except we’ve only gotten better!"

Politics is certainly a part of the Crazies’ shtick, though it doesn’t define them. Along with old folk tunes, originals and stomps that are an amalgamation of both, the band’s set list includes a healthy dose of protest songs; things inspired by the 1960s and by this generation’s own battles.

"A lot of the folk stuff from the 1960s has a certain relevance to what is happening in the world right now," says banjo player Chris Zic, 32, from New Springville. "We’re living in a world we never could have imagined, and it’s really archaic. So our music is a mix of relevance and absurdity. Sort of gonzo folk."

Marrying well-known acoustic instruments with more obscure ones -- like a washtub bass (Fred Gunsch), a saw (Doug Williams), and a rhythmic confluence of cleaning closet items called a Stumpf fiddle (Nicole Gunsch) -- Wahoo Skiffle Crazies sound something like an old-time/Dixieland/folk band that’s had a few too many and invited some unsavory characters to play along.

Some members have joked about offering a service of allowing the curious to be an honorary band member for a night, for the discount price of $14.99. And member Chris Sorrentino -- who is also part of comedy group A Dan Amongst Dans -- was invited into the group because of his general enthusiasm and lasagna-making skills. And, like the earnest music from whence it comes, the band more often than not sounds positively satisfying.

Classic references in the music give way to surprising and amusing modern bits -- as old tune "The Fox" finds the sly protagonist snatching not the neck of the goose, but the neck of the Grey Goose, before painting the town red. Singing together on "Hello Ma Baby," the band takes that famous refrain "Hello ma baby, hello my darlin’, hello my ragtime gal," and flips it seamlessly with those words any Pink Floyd fan can blurt without blinking: "and if the clouds burst, thunder in your ear/you shout and no one seems to hear ... I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon."

There are more controversial numbers as well, from critiques of the Bush administration to a certain song and chorus that refers to a girl’s pet feline in a very obvious double-entendre. But members say they’re definitely made for any audience.

"We’re family-friendly and drunkard friendly," grins Rob Yuzuk, 34, the band’s guitar and kazoo player from Silver Lake.

Wahoo Skiffle Crazies’ resume certainly reflects that. They played their first gig at a preschool, and they have regular late-night shows at Martini Red (MySpace.com/martiniredsi). In the summer, they’re known to hold gorilla gigs everywhere from the ferry terminal to neighborhood bus stops, and an old manager -- one of many who have come and gone from the band’s ranks in the last five years -- once scored them a spot on the Opie and Anthony Traveling Virus Tour, which stopped at PNC Bank Arts Center.

This summer, the group is hoping to raise their profile a bit with gigs further afield, playing larger festivals in Pennsylvania and Boston. They’ve also got another record coming out, to follow-up the group’s first self-titled record, so it should be a good season for the group of outsiders. Don’t be surprised, though, if you find yourself converted soon to the Crazies’ sound, no matter which side you are on. This band isn’t trying to be cool, they’re trying to have a good time, and that sort of genuine motivation shines through.

"I don’t know anyone who has come to one of our shows and not had fun," says Doug Williams, 32. "That to me is what’s so great about this band, and the reason most of us are doing it."

"We’re joining a tradition that’s been severed and people respond to that," agrees Zic. "I enjoy the craft and discipline of keeping that American history alive."

Contact AWE music writer Ben Johnson at bjohnson@siadvance.com or MySpace.com/statenislandrocks.

- Advance Weekly Entertainment (Staten Island Advance)

Staten Island bands will Rock the Harbor this weekend
By LISA SWAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, June 12th 2008, 6:58 PM


The Wahoo Skiffle Crazies are just one of the Staten Island bands performing at Rock the Harbor.


The Budos Band is headlining the festival. Click pic for a gallery of some of the other artists performing at the event.
Staten Island rocks. And that's no joke.

Rock the Harbor, the island's first rock music festival, comes to Snug Harbor Cultural Center Saturday, June 14. The rock music fest brings together over 30 local bands, who will be performing on three outdoor stages.

Afro-soul musicians The Budos Band are headlining the concert. Other artists performing include Marc Sica, Wahoo Skiffle Crazies, The Great Unwashed, Kilgore Trout Is Dead, Happy Anarchy, and Heavy Weather.

Dave Albertson, producer of Rock the Harbor, said many Staten Islanders think this type of event is long overdue. He said the event is "a perfect match for families and music looking to do something close to home in a beautiful park" this weekend.

Most fans don't think of Staten Island as a hotbed for music, even though the Wu-Tang Clan and the David Johansen of the New York Dolls are from the borough. And Albertson said that there are some SI-based bands who are on "the verge of stardom" who will be performing at Rock the Harbor. The festival being on Saturday afternoon will give "these artists another venue and audience that they may not necessarily receive during the day," the promoter said.

Rock the Harbor recently was a subject of controversy of the indie music site www.brooklynvegan.com . After some fans mocked the idea of having a music festival on Staten Island, others came to the borough's defense. Albertson said that the controversy has ultimately been good for publicizing the event.

"Staten Islanders believe in this rapidly growing music scene, said Albertson. "But this music festival isn't about 'The Battle of borough bands', it's about the art of music and it just so happens that the music scene is now being taken seriously."

Tickets for Rock the Harbor are $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show. For more information, check out www.rocktheharbor.net .

- New York Daily News

http://jugbandhangout.com/ugs%20Across%20America.html

or check out the forum! www.jugbandhangout.com

After the original jug band era in the late 1920's and early 1930's, there was a revival period in the 1960's that featured groups like Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Even Dozen Jug Band, and Mother Macree's Uptown Jug Champions. This CD is proof that we are in the midst of another jug band revival and that revival is in good hands.

One of the first things that struck me was the variety of musical styles presented here. Groups like Fritz Richmond's Barbecue Orchestra, The Jim Kweskin Band, Escape the Floodwater Jug Band and others are great examples of the jug band revival sound. Groups like the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ramblin Jug Stompers, and Andalusia Jug Band have an old-timey, string band sound. The Jugadelics are rather bluesy while the Jugtown Pirates of Lake Champlain blend bluegrass and rock.

The second thing I found on the CD was the caliber of musicianship represented. There is some great banjo and fiddle playing on many cuts. The jug work on the Fritz Richmond cut is terrific. The Wahoo Skiffle Band offers great instrumentation along with some interesting lyrical updates on Which Side Are You On? There are great vocals on many cuts, along with some of the usual raucous vocals that are a hallmark of many of the revival bands.

Another great feature of this CD is the variety of music. There are some of the jug band standards as well as some great originals. The Quake City Jug Band's Lunch With Jesus would probably have the fundamentalists up in arms (but, then again, what wouldn't?) but is a fun listen. The Juggernaut Jug Band's You Mean We Get Paid For This? Is another great new song in the jug band tradition. The Blue Ribbon Jug Band's version of Old Home Place moves from the Bluegrass of Kentucky to the streets of 1920's Memphis and works well in the process. Banjorama's Leave Them Jugs Alone has that great chord progression found in songs like Keep On Truckin' and fun lyrics.

Banjo Kellie and Whiskey For Breakfast Records are to be commended for putting together an entertaining and informative snapshot of the modern jug band scene. If you are a jug band fanatic or if you are a novice looking to discover that great music that is called jug band music, this disc is a must have!

- Jugbandhangout.com

http://www.littlevillagemag.com/content/2008/10/jugs-across-america-cd-review/

Jugs Across America
Jugs Across America: A Modern Jug Band Compilation
Whiskey For Breakfast Records

Kellie Everett, Banjo Kellie from Escape The Floodwater Jug Band, has taken things up a notch with this new compilation, impishly titled Jugs Across America. It's always been possible to find jug band music—either the original recordings, the '60s revivalists, or the geographically isolated contemporary proponents. For the first time in the new millennium, Kellie has brought together a cohesive collection of songs from 20 different bands from across the United States. It isn't exaggerating to say that this CD is historic. JAA proves that jug band music isn't just jokey nostalgia; it's people reclaiming homemade entertainment with a deep tradition, firing a shot across the bow of the greedy fakery of contemporary pop music.

Of course, it's also jokey nostalgia, too. Eleven out of 20 tracks here are performances of traditional songs, and kazoos and jugs are hard to hear without cracking a grin. No one here takes themselves too seriously, or restrains themselves from reaching for hokey Americana. But what ties all these performances together is their vitality and freshness. In a musical world, where studio trickery has turned everything into a form of electronic music, what is more revolutionary and liberating than getting together with friends and playing acoustic music? Even if you're playing an old song you learned from thrift store sheet music or an 80-year-old 78 RPM record, every performance is a fresh act of creation.

Key tracks: "Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)" by the Jim Kweskin Band. Jim Kweskin is jug music's elder statesman, who came to prominence in the folk revival of the early '60s. It may be the least 'juggy' track here, but his homely vocal style and the acoustic instrumentation are every bit as charming.
"Which Side Are You On?" by Wahoo Skiffle Crazies is a Wobbly Labor album, delivered with ragged brio. "Achin' For Some Bacon," Escape The Floodwater Jug Band's entry is fronted by Kellie's distinctive vibrato-laden alto.

But to single out individual songs does the album a disservice—there's no duff tracks at all. The anthology format also gives you enough variation in style and instrumentation to keep it interesting for the whole hour.

- Little Village Magazine

Staten Island music starts coming out of the woodwork every fall, and making inroads into the rest of the city. Thursday's gig? Local jug band Wahoo Skiffle Crazies heads to Brooklyn's Southpaw, to put its protest songs alongside Outernational, a politically-charged rock band produced by Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. This is the perfect gig for the Skiffle Crazies, in my opinion. And like we always say, it's a great look for SI to see our artists getting un-Marooned.
- Staten Island Advance

Last night, The Bell House in Brooklyn was host to “Strength Through Unity,” a sold out benefit show for the earthquake victims in Haiti. Organized by music booker Jack McFadden, the diverse line-up ranged from comedians (Eugene Mirman, Jim Gaffigan, Todd Barry) to musicians (The Wrens, The Walkmen, Ted Leo), and from TV personalities (Jimmy Fallon, Pat Kiernan) to politicians (New York State Senator Diane Savino). Although we’re only a month in to 2010, I’m confident I won't see a better show this year, nor one dedicated to a better cause. I rocked, I laughed, I (almost) cried. An inventory of highlights after the jump.

Rootsy openers The Wahoo Skiffle Crazies kicked things off with a spirited saw, jug and banjo inflected hootenany, after which emcee Eugene Mirman came out to introduce surprise guest Neil Young. Of course, it wasn’t the original grunge-ster himself, but rather Jimmy Fallon doing his now famous, spot-on imitation. He stayed entirely in character as he performed his version of The Fresh Prince theme song, then quietly left the stage and I’m betting, given his schedule, was home in bed before even half of the other acts went on. ‘Twas a long night!

The next big treat was Mirman’s set. Maybe I’m partial to the guy because he lives in my neighborhood and I regularly spot him at the grocery store, but damn he’s hilarious. He did a bit where he read from napkins that he scribbles messages on, then re-inserts into dispensers at various restaurants. My favorites read “Cheer up Fatty!” and “You’re an alchemist who can turn six beers into an awkward three-week relationship!” Who among us isn’t?

A couple of music acts followed—Freelance Whales, Sondre Lerche—though I confess I missed them owing to an extraordinarily long line for hot dogs. Luckily, I was fed and back in action in time to catch The Wrens. Despite their being the favorite band of a very music-savvy colleague of mine, I’d never listened to them before, and now feel quite stupid and deprived for it. These four gentlemen blew the fucking roof off with an impassioned set that, with one exception I’ll get to shortly, was the musical highpoint of the evening. I’m buying their album “The Meadowlands” as soon I file this.

Now, I could be getting the order wrong here, but I believe the next attraction was the all-star Seekers cover-band featuring A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers), Rhet Miller (Old 97’s), and Nicole Atkins, whose throaty, k.d. lang-ish vocals drove most of the kicking, rollicksome songs. She also, my girlfriend and I couldn’t help but notice, wore a fairly spectacular pair of tights that gets my vote for the evening’s best fashion statement.

Next up was comedian Todd Barry, whose studied, deadpan routine I never get tired of. His best gag concerned aggressive hookers in Barcelona. “Wow, if you’re like this in public, what’s it going to be like when I get you back to the youth hostel?” Priceless, by my churlish reckoning anyway. I missed funny man Jim Gaffigan (again, hot dogs) and most of Ted Leo (beer), but wended my way back to the stage to catch one more act that proved the other surprise highpoint of the evening.

Actress Lauren Ambrose, unbeknownst to me until last night, apparently fronts a jazz band called The Leisure Class. It must be a pretty new act—girl doesn’t even have a myspace page up—but you wouldn’t know it from the performance. They were tight as all hell, and Ambrose’s voice is fucking dreamy. She was clearly nervous that her olde-school cabaret style might not be the best fit with the night’s more rock-oriented acts (she said by way of disclaimer that she hoped everyone was up for a “slightly different sonic experience”) but she needn’t have worried. The crowd was thoroughly seduced by the band’s detailed, glossy arrangements of songs ranging from Dylan to, believe it or not, The Libertines.

I’m afraid that I couldn’t stick around for closers The Walkmen, but by that point I was exhausted. The whole event had the frenzied air of a breakneck lollapalooza, enhanced before, during, and after by the knowledge that all were there on behalf of oh-so-vital Haitian relief. 100% of the proceeds (not even the club took a cut of the $35,000 plus haul) will be divided evenly between Save The Children and Partners In Health. In short: great cause, great show, great night. Audience and performers alike are to be congratulated.
- BlackBook

STATEN ISLAND, NY--Tickets are supposedly sold out for tonight's Haiti Benefit at The Bell House, which will feature Ted Leo, Freelance Whales, The Wrens, The Walkmen, and our very own Wahoo Skiffle Crazies.

This is a big show, and a big deal for the Wahoos, and even more importantly, it sends 100 percent of the proceeds to Save The Children and Partners In Health. All of the musicians and comedians--JIMMIE FALLON!?--will be performing short, stripped-down or acoustic sets. But a better bang-for-your-buck situation, where you can see some top notch talent from Staten Island, support a good cause, and perhaps witness another Fallon Neil Young impression and a lot of other big time acts, is hard to imagine.

Tickets are $50. Wahoos play at around 7:00 p.m.. The following list is in general order of appearance:

JIMMY FALLON
THE WAHOO SKIFFLE CRAZIES
New York State Senator DIANE SAVINO
HERE WE GO MAGIC
PAT KIERNAN of NY 1
FREELANCE WHALES
EUGENE MIRMAN
SONDRE LERCHE
MICHAEL SHOWALTER
THE WRENS
TODD BARRY
AC NEWMAN of NEW PORNOGRAPHERS plus RHETT MILLER of OLD 97s plus NICOLE ATKINS as a SEEKERS cover band.
TED LEO
JIM GAFFIGAN
LAUREN AMBROSE & THE LEISURE CLASS
THE BLOW
fun.
THE WALKMEN - Staten Island Advance

Most folks will remember Lauren Ambrose as the character Claire on Six Feet Under. But she’s now also a ‘jazz chanteuse’ in a band called Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class, playing at Bell House on Friday, March 5th 2010. The band serves up “a unique blend of ragtime Dixieland red hot gypsy jazz”, “influenced by their diverse backgrounds in Americana, Folk, Country, Bluegrass, Rock and Roll, and Opera”.

The Leisure Class is playing with the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies, which sound like a fine, suitably bawdy Staten Island jug band (check out the track “My Girl’s Pussy” on their MySpace page… single entrendre on that one). Eardrum NYC says they “balance relevancy with absurdity… Wahoo Skiffle Crazies offer post-modern, time-traveling, Gonzo-Folk traditional jug band tunes, ragtime, protest songs, blues and Steampunk originals, influenced by the 60s folk revival and Depression Era Americana (both).”
- Blue Grass in New York City