play to beat the band (with a shovel, if necessary)
PDF | Midi Mp3

I wrote this shortly after relocating from Maryland to Milwaukee around this time in 2008. And though I never submitted it, I wrote it half seriously in response to a contest Michelle Schocked held to write a song about that year’s recession.

Once in a while, I like to write one that’s so straightforward and predictable, chord-wise, that someone else familiar with the style could probably play it through even the first time around. Give it a shot!

For reference, here’s a live recording from our 2011 appearance on WMSE in 2014.

For video, a rare performance by the small jug band within the larger orchestra known as The Viper and His Second String at Milwaukee’s 19th Street Coffee House from 2010: Riley Broach on the washtub bass, John Peacock playing the banjo ukulele with a cast on his strumming arm, and me, The Viper, doubling on the jug and suitcase (normally, as in the WMSE recording, Rob Henn would handle main jug duties).

REVIEWS

“I’ve always liked this little fun tune.”
— Carol Archer Jerving, Facebook, December 28, 2021