It's hard to believe it's been twenty years, two decades! How could a party like this keep going and growing? No doubt because it's so gosh darned fun. The 20th annual Battle of the Jugbands was held at the Cabooze in Minneapolis on February 10th, 2002. It's long been considered the highlight of the West Bank social season. As well as urban bohemian types it is cause for "brush hippies" to appear from their Canadian border cabins and "dirt hippies" to leave their prairie farms. Over the years it has started to draw entrants from all across the country. A few years back The Barbecue Orchestra came from Portland and this year a guy came all the way from Santa Cruz to play. The two previous contests were won by bands from Wisconsin, breaking Minnesota's long hold on the coveted Holliwood Waffle Iron, the Holy Grail of jugbanddom. If taxpayers won't build the Vikings a new stadium this could be cause for the next big rivalry. How's that for a word? Jugbanddom.
There were 19 acts this year. The number of entrants is growing so large it may have to go to two days or something. Could we survive such a marathon of debauchery? Many bands change names every year so it's hard to tell who is in what. There were great names such as THE ALL JUGS GIRL BAND, COUNT JUGULA (in Vampire costumes), THE GOLDEN CALF ARMY and FAT DRUNK AND STUPID. The regulars such as the present incarnations of the JOOK SAVAGES (who used to open up for The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane in San Francisco during the 60's), and MOMMAS HOME COOKIN'. The waffle iron was returned to Minnesota by OUTDOOR JOHN AND THE SEARS CATALOG. Possibly the winners edge was because Spider John Koerner was able to get a few hundred people to sing along with him, as well as having scores of people who wanted to be "Koernerized" on stage.
Once again I recorded the event, and I do believe there could be a CD available in the distant future. Last year there were not enough good songs to include every band on the disc, but I think that It's possible to find enough good stuff from this years.
Dr. Dog
www.coldwind.com
[Editors note: Dr. Dog is Cold Wind President Tim Bradach.]
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