Jim Kweskin is an American music pioneer. Rock critic Ed Ward once listed the most important bands of the early 1960s as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Byrds, and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, adding: “I'm not kidding.” Of course he wasn’t kidding. Jim’s band became the original Americana band, playing everything from classic blues to hillbilly country, ragtime, jazz, and rock and roll, perfectly capturing the 1960s mix of exuberant anarchy and heartfelt sincerity. Jim has gone on playing jug band favorites, old time jazz tunes, and classic country blues, perfecting a low key, homemade sound that makes his skillful playing seem as easy as talking to a friend. Tonight he has an ideal friend to talk to, Freight favorite Suzy Thompson, a master of the acoustic blues violin, following in the footsteps of Lonnie Chatmon, Clifford Hayes, and Eddie Anthony. Suzy is a powerful singer, an award-winning fiddler, and an accomplished accordion player who, over the past three decades, has been a leading force in such influential roots music groups as the California Cajun Orchestra, the Blue Flame String Band, Klezmorim, the Any Old Time String Band, the Aux Cajunals, and the Bluegrass Intentions, as well as in her down-home collaborations with husband Eric Thompson.

 
Tonight Jim and Suzy will sing, play guitar, fiddle, and accordion, and maybe even employ a comb or kazoo, a washboard or a jug. The focus is on the musical conversation, and even when it’s heartbreaking, it’s always fun.

Visit Suzy Thompson's website

Listen to a track from Jim Kweskin: