Topic: Chezz, Buzz and Wax to play Portland Waterfront Blues Fest as Hohoppas Jug Band

[Johnm]

Way to go, guys, and kudos to John C. and Miller for being willing to drop everything, and put in the time and travel to do the gig.  Sometimes it is great to put the daily routine on hold, but it is not easy to do!  I hope the trip up and back to the Bay Area went off smoothly, and I look forward to hearing more about the experience and seeing the film at Port Townsend.
All best,
Johnm

[waxwing]

Heck, I'm hoping we can perform our whole set at Weenie dinner one evening.

What a blast! Great home cooked food (home baked sour dough bread, even). Myriad microbrews and bourbons to choose from. Coffee roasted, ground and pressed for each pot to get us rehearsing again each day. Getting to know Chezz and Taizz at home, beyond their PT personnas. Getting a feel for Portland and meeting a lot of people in the music scene there. And having a project really gel and come together in a good performance for an appreciative audience. What a great week.

Since you guys usually want to read set lists:

On The Road Again (MJB) Chezz - lead vocal, harp; Buzz - vocal, mando, kazoo; Wax - vocal, guitar, jug
I Whipped My Woman With A Single Tree (MJB) Chezz - lead vocal, guitar; Buzz - vocal, mando, kazoo; Wax - washboard, jug
Meat Shakin' Woman (BBF) Wax - lead vocal, guitar, jug; Chezz - spoken, washboard; Buzz - mando, kazoo
KC Moan (MJB) Wax - lead vocal, slide guitar, jug; Chezz - vocal, harp; Buzz - vocal, mando, kazoo
Bill Wilson (BirminghamJB) Chezz - lead vocal, harp, washboard; Buzz - vocal, mando; Wax - guitar, jug
Ducks Yas Yas (Tampa Red & the Hokum Boys) Buzz - lead vocal, mando; Chezz - vocal, slide guitar; Wax - washboard, jug
Stealin', Stealin' (MJB) Buzz - lead vocal, mando, kazoo; Wax - vocal, guitar, jug; Chezz - harp
Mississippi Blues (WB) Wax - lead vocal, guitar, jug; Buzz - mando, kazoo; Chezz - harp
Viola Lee Blues (CJS) Chezz - lead vocal, harp; Buzz - mando, kazoo; Wax - guitar, jug
Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here (TR&THB) Wax - vocal, washboard, jug; Buzz - vocal, mando, kazoo; Chezz - vocal, slide guitar

Actually, we had to drop Viola Lee, as, apparently from the 39 minute video, the stage manager cut us short. We would have timed out perfectly at 45 minutes. Oh well.

Thanks for the good words, folks.

All for now.
John C.

[Parlor Picker]

Any chance of putting a song or two online for us European Weenies?

[Chezztone]

Actually, we'll go one better. Maybe a screening, but certainly a CONCERT by the Hohoppas at Weenie House one night during blues week. Cheers, Chezz, Wax and Miller.

[uncle bud]

Mama Don't Allow No Easy Riders Here (TR&THB) Wax - vocal, washboard, jug; Buzz - vocal, mando, kazoo; Chezz - vocal, slide guitar

So which one of you was doing the Frankie Jaxon impersonation? Were there dance steps involved?

Thanks for the setlist, Wax. I wasn't familiar with Bill Wilson by the Birmingham Jug Band and requested it on the Juke. It turns out it is a smokin' cool version of John Henry. A bit of a jug workout on that one, it sounds like. I also notice there seems to be mandolin or banjo-mandolin in all three of the songs that came up on the Juke (Three for Thursdays). Will have to check the Mandolin Blues thread to see if I have them listed, because I don't think I do. Who is their mandolin player?

[dj]

Who is their mandolin player?

A fellow by the name of Unknown.  All the performers on the Birmingham Jug Band Sessions are unknown.  The harmonica player may or may not be Jay Bird Coleman.

[waxwing]

UB - We changed Mama Don't Allow around a bit, using the format as played by the Hokum Boys, but doing solo breaks between each verse, with whoever did the solo singing the next verse to intro the next player, who would sing the "I don't care what Mama don't 'low" line and we would all sing the final line. So I sang the "Easy Ridin'" verse (a la Frankie) and then Chezz did some "easy ridin'" on the slide guitar, and sang the "jug knocking" verse. After my jug solo I sang "Mama don't 'low no kazoo tootin'" and Buzz did a solo then sang "no washboard rubbin'". After my washboard solo we all cut loose for a verse to which we all sang the last line and I capped it with Frankie's "I said no ridin' 'round here".

So, to answer your question: I pretty much sang Frankie's higher version of the melody throughout, which was harmonized by Chezz and Buzz singing the standard melody. My vocal range just keeps getting higher.-G-

dj - It seems less than likely that Coleman was the harp player for the BJB. I recall Chezz reading a cd cover (not the Document cd) that had another possibility, first name Otis, I think. My memory is kinda fuzzy. I don't know who wrote the notes, either. Maybe Chezz will post it?

All for now.
John C.

[GhostRider]

Howdy:

Belated congratulations on the Jugband's success. Wish I could have been there! I'm sure the highlight was Buzz's kazoo break on "Stealin"

I love the "straight off the farm" comment, I your guys case, it could mean right off the Funny Farm!

It almost makes me want to get married, so I could get youse guys for the wedding!..

Top quality,
Alex