'The Self-Isolated Artist' Series: Vancouver Profile of THE VAUDEVILLIAN
Interview compiled by Fabulist Theatre’s Vancouver correspondent Damon Bradley Jang
‘The Vaudevillian’ is a two-person 1930's Jug band Ragtime Blues band. They host interactive Washboard Workshops and interactive Musical Spoon Workshops across the country. Get ready to shine your shoes to do the skoodle um skoo!"
Recent reviews: "The jug band tunes from the award winning 1930's band, The Vaudevillian make you get off your doggone caboose & do the lindy hop!
The old-fashioned gentleman, Jitterbug James & sweet Norah Spades bring you dancing numbers from the prohibition period!
Thank goodness PROHIBITION IS OVER!
Currently on their "Ramblin' Riggy RV" Canada Wide Tour, ‘The Vaudevillian’ lost a lot of upcoming gigs and planned tours on account of COVID-19. Here is an interview with them.
Tell me a little bit about you band members.
Norah Spades and Jitterbug James are a married 1930's Jug band duo who travel all over Canada in their 30-year-old, 34-foot RV dubbed, "Norah's Ark." Their eight wonderful pets tour with them.
Norah grew up in a trailer park with a washboard to do laundry and adored old 30's gospel jazz she heard on the radio with her grandma.
Jitterbug James was given a record player as a gift by his grandmother and began his record collection at a young age. focusing on old 30's numbers.
They met at a flea market held weekly on the beach of Port Elgin, Ontario. Once they met, it was signed, sealed and delivered. They've been performing all over Canada, the USA and Europe professionally, full time, in their band "The Vaudevillian" for five years now.
What's your background in music?
Funny enough, Norah used to be in an all girls’ rock band as a drummer with a full kit. With her serendipitous history of using a washboard to do laundry in the trailer park, she took her washboard and adorned it with bells, cow bells, teacher bells, service bells, her favorite tea kettle lids, an old jewelry box, and an old clock face she found in New Orleans. She plays the washboard, the spoons, a marionette bass drum, and the concertina.
Jitterbug James is self taught with the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonica as his instruments. He began his music career by busking at local farmers’ markets and collected old, rare records. James would listen to his records and loved the story telling of songs from the 1930's. He began writing his own songs and now ‘The Vaudevillian’ has three records recorded on 1/2" tape with Norah and James releasing their 4th record this Summer... OR SO WE HOPE! "Fingers Crossed"
What drew you to 1930s Jug band blues music. Briefly touch your take on it?
We fell in love with 30's Jug band numbers simply for the story that was told.
Drinking, dancing, laughing, suffering, living and creating music out of nothing and making it something is so very beautiful. Taking a Moonshine jug and making music from it made us so excited and we wanted to celebrate such incredible music.
Jug band music made us feel alive, and those that come to our shows tell us they feel alive when they dance and drink along with us!
With encouragement of our jug band music, we travel all over hosting our Washboard Workshops, where we bring fifty Washboards, tons of thimbles and teach people how to play the washboard! Everyone laughs as they learn a wildly fun new skill while learning historical and cultural aspects of the washboard!
All ages, all Abilities. No experience needed. We are seeing Impaired Friendly. To date, we have taught over 1400+ people how to play the Washboard!
(Shameless self promotion - We are endorsed by the BEST & LEGAL, can you believe it! Moonshine Distillery, MURPHY'S LAW MOONSHINE DISTILLERY)
Who makes up your audience at one of your shows?
People who want to dance, drink, laugh, blush, and feel ALIVE!
How are you feeling regarding COVID-19 and the cancellation of your shows?
A tad Lousy! As many, we have lost the next two months of gigs at theaters, festivals, private events, and our Cross Canada, "Ramblin' Riggy RV Tour," set to take off in May and run for four months.
It's devastating, and we're rapidly trying to learn how to take our 1930's music and make it accessible in 2020 in a National Pandemic.
We held an Impromptu Online Concert this past week and we had a hoot. 6000 people viewed and we received tons of messages from folks letting us know they had a tiny Kitchen Party, dancing up a storm in their Home Quarantines. That made us over the Moon happy!
What are you doing to keep yourselves busy?
Writing and penning new tunes. Our isolation is giving us time to write more material which will assuredly be on our 4th record coming soon. S'long as we can finish up recording in the studio in the coming months when all settles.
Additionally, we are leather crafters and have a small Custom Leather Craft business, Woodstove Leather Goods. We make custom leather goods from scratch, hand carving, belts, dog and cat collars, suspenders, wallets, guitar/banjo/mandolin/bass/sax/washboard straps, purses, flasks, rifle slings, holsters, knife sheathes, mason jar cozies, yoga mat Slings, wine bottle holsters and more.
We're focusing on our small business quite a bit since Covid-19.
For how long do you generally tour?
Usually 1-3 Months is our average. Depends on where we're headed. If in Europe, it's usually a small tour as we have our pets that we miss. If in the US or Canada, our pets come with us so the tours can run longer.
What kind of venues do you usually play?
festivals, theaters, music clubs, private events
What advice would you give to other artists in this similar situation who are feeling hopeless on account of the pandemic?
I hear ya... Let's use the time to write and create. Let’s use this isolation and quarantine to create.
Where can fans have a listen to your music and support you?
https://thevaudevillian.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thevaudevillian/
https://www.facebook.com/thevaudevillianmusic/
Record Label- https://bustedflatrecords.com/
Video- https://vimeo.com/337025792
New Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of09gAwirdU
Why do you love performing?
The laughter. We sing a lot of dirty, "hokum" songs that are all innuendo and we adore seeing people blush and laugh in response. The dirty songs are always requested, and folks dance up a storm to them.
As a nod to ‘Inside The Actors Studio’, here are the late James Lipton’s 10 final questions:
1. What is your favorite word? Wine
2. What is your least favorite word? Pandemic
3. What turns you on? Red Wine
4. What turns you off? Epidemic
5. What sound or noise do you love? Our pet birds chirp and wake us up in the morning.
6. What sound or noise do you hate? The sound of an empty beer bottle.
7. What is your favorite curse word? Lousy, Loudmouth, Loafer.
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Zoologist (The good ones)
9. What profession would you not like to do? Politician
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Would you like some?”
Catch ‘The Vaudevillian’ next on April 3rd, 2020 at 8 pm on Facebook Live: The Vaudevillian
Want to have someone in your community profiled during this time of COVID-19? Email Damon at fabulistmedia@gmail.com.
Photo layout and logo design by Damon Bradley Jang.