Legend of the Crazies

The Salt Cracker Crazies jug band, formed in 2010 in Astoria, Queens, continues to delight and transfix New York City area audiences with our unique and impertinent issue of exclusively acoustic jug, string, and vintage hokum chestnuts from the 1920’s and beyond —bathtub distilled to a fiery concoction that goes down sweet and kicks like a mule.

Boasting an evolving livery of musical common-law spouses expanding and contracting like a cajun accordion over the decade-plus tenure of the band, our current Salt Cracker Crazies sextet roster resembles a veritable police blotter of NYC area musical scofflaws, snake charmers, chorus girls, and confidence men: Throat Cancer Jefferson coaxes strange melodies from the 5 string banjo; Ticklebritches Burnett forges twice-told truths from a resophonic guitar; hot mama Rusty Buttons commences to rubbing the washboard and potpourri; Cowboy Roy Lacroix wrestles bold rhythms from brushes and snare; Roebuck Redbone “cleans up” with washtub bass; hot mama Liquory Splitz shakes loose the forbidden fruit. Joining also on celebrated occasions: fiddle conjurings from Confetti Tornado; and jug rumination by Spitzyfitz Fitzpatrick. All heretofore concerned lift voice and sing with unabashed ardor for this evergreen musical idiom we call the blues.

We thank our fans and booking agents from venues as varied as Terra Blues, Joe’s Pub, L.I.C. Bar, Jalopy Theater, Way Station, Poughkeepsie Porchfest, Bitter End, Rest~Au~Rant, Gantries, Alewife Brewing Co, Waltz Astoria, Mad Donkey, Fifth Hammer Brewing Company, Failte Irish Whiskey Bar, and Museum of the Moving Image for supporting us with the modest remunerations necessary to replenish weatherproofing supplies essential in maintenance of the communal lean-to hobo encampment we the Salt Cracker Crazies jug band and our families continue to inhabit beneath Astoria’s famed Hell Gate Bridge.