Bumper Jacksons Jump Blues Debuts in Long Island

On March 14th, Bumper Jacksons make their debut in Long Island.  Already beloved at WFUV and featured by John Platt, this DC-based band will perform at the Eclectic Cafe.  Bumper Jacksons feature powerful jazz vocals and clever original songs steeped in early, danceable sounds of jump blues and country swing.  They have a slew of orginal and re-imagined traditional songs to share.

A Bumper Jacksons show is an exciting blend of the traditional and non-traditional; contemporary lyricism and form is coupled with the early sounds of western swing, street jazz, bluegrass and country blues.  Their expansive roots repertoire and unique instrumentation will delight Americana enthusiasts of both traditional and progressive leanings.  Recognized as DC’s “Best Traditional Folk Band” at the 2013 Washington Area Music Awards, the Bumper Jacksons have positioned themselves squarely at the helm of the young roots music scene pioneering a new, fresh take on American music.  

The Bumper Jacksons are a big, fat party. Hot and sweet, their early jazz and country repertoire paints America's story from New Orleans' brothels to Appalachian hollers. Unafraid to scrap together new sounds from forgotten 78's, the Bumper Jacksons boldly and elegantly balance paying homage to the traditions while fashioning their own unique, DIY style.  Bursting at the seams with some of the richest threads of old America, the Bumper Jacksons bring you into the center of a party where everyone is invited and the dance floor never sleeps!  

Trombones battle clarinets and kazoos. Playful, genre-exploding originals pepper their sets.  They are solidly a festival party dance band, yet you can tell that the Bumper Jacksons love the quiet.  They can summon vulnerability and sparsity when they want to break your heart.  Jess Eliot Myhre's vocals and calrinet playing are rooted deeply in the study of early blues singers; she oscillates between the tender and the ferocious.  The big-bearded Chris Ousley imblues a heavy dose of wacky energy and humor - his "mouth horn," unpredictable falsetto interludes and originals like the "Bacon Adoration" keep the shows light, fresh and funny.