Advertisement
When Neil Worboys chanced upon jug band music in the 1960s, his life was turned upside down and has never been the same. In 1968, on seeing Napier’s "10% Supermarket Discount Band" at the renowned Wellington coffee bar Chez Paree, he vowed and declared to “get his own jug band together”. Since then Neil has been involved in quite a few jug bands – Stupid Cat Requiem, Bulldogs Allstar Goodtime Band, The Hot Mumbles Jug Band, The Electric Jug Band, The Whakapunaki Favourites, The Ear Boggles and the Pillock Brothers, to name just a few.The Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band had its genesis in 2013 when Pip Payne, Neil Worboys, Bill Wood, Maurice Priestley and Steve Carlyle banded together with the avowed intention of playing jug band music, as this had played an important part in the development of their individual DNAs and a vital source of inspiration for everything musical.
Their repertoire is a mix of original songs, which intentionally and vaguely follows the styles of Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and other inspirational pioneers of blues and jug band music, along with cover versions of the above-mentioned heroes.
The band spent 2014 and 2015 playing a number of Wellington venues, followed by the Wellington Folk Festival and several out of town Jazz n Blues Festivals. Their first album Stomp Around the Floor was recorded live one rainy Saturday afternoon in late 2015, followed by a stomping CD release party at the Kelburn Village Pub. The end of 2015 saw Pip Payne replaced by Carol Bean. The band maintained and built their fan base through to 2020 by adding gigs at key venues. They released their second CD and online EP album Round Your Door, featuring all original compositions, on Friday 31 July 2020 at the Wellington Bluegrass Society.
When Steve left in late 2020 they recruited Peter Gregory - bass player extraordinaire, to play tea chest bass and multi-instrumentalist Barry Carter to sing and play washboard. The re-worked six-piece band continued to perform around the capital city with irregular forays into the hinterland to play at festivals and rural pubs. 2024 saw the departure of Maurice and Peter and the arrival of Derek Burfield, who brought his jug band experience having started in Palmerston North in the 1970s with Railway Pie playing jug and upright bass.
The KVMEJB continue to build and refine their repertoire and audiences can look forward to hearing a mix of traditional and contemporary songs from Lead Belly, Skip James, Tom Waits, Maria Muldaur and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as chosen originals.
The Kelburn Viaduct Municipal Ensemble Jug Band performing
If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day (Robert Johnson)
The feature act starts at 7:30pm who perform one set, followed by floorspots, where anyone can perform two numbers, in the genres of bluegrass, old time, Americana. A jam session follows.
DOORS:
6:30pm
SHOW STARTS:
7:30pm
ENTRY:
$20 / $15 members
please bring cash to pay for tickets,
or book prior to the day via email to:
[email protected]
Plenty of tasty treats available at the venue, come for a drink (or two) and dinner before the show starts.
Here is the link for the Petone menu, and to book for dinner:
www.abandonedbrewery.co.nz/taprooms#Petone
Advertisement
Event Venue
Abandoned Petone, 38 Fitzherbert St, Petone, Lower Hutt 5012, New Zealand, Lower Hutt
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.