Jug Bands And Blues Groups To Play On Banks Of Gowanus Canal

GOWANUS, NY — Jug bands, blue groups and country acts will take to the banks of the Gowanus Canal for a series of free summer concerts celebrating Americana music.

The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club started their first "Creekers Jamboree" concert series this summer with nearly 10 roots and Americana acts playing at the group's 165 Second St. boathouse every third Saturday this summer, organizers said.

"Creekers Jamboree" kicked off on June 16 and continues on July 21 with a performance by Canadian group The Ever-Lovin' Jug Band playing with country and blues band the Chittlin' Cookers, the Gowanus Dredgers said.

The series also includes an August 18 concert by Piedmont Blüz with Pointers Revenge and ends on September 15 with performances by the Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues and the Queens of Everything.

The festival takes their name from a mid-1800s gang that roamed the streets of Gowanus and Red Hook, the Creekers, who lived near the canal and regularly quarreled with rival group the Pointers, according to the Gowanus Dredgers.

Before each show, the Dredgers will host one of their free Saturday afternoon canoe rides in the polluted canal from 1 to 5 p.m. with performances starting right after, organizers said.

The festival is one of two musical acts to take to the Gowanus waterway after avant-garde musician Elliott Sharp played a 90-minute solo while on a canoe going up and down the canal earlier this month.

For more information about the "Creekers Jamboree," visit the Gowanus Dredgers Club's website.

Image courtesy of the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club