‘Seething good time’

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By Madeline Brown

The South Austin Jug Band from Austin, Texas is making its way back to Baton Rouge Saturday, April 5 for what James Hyland (guitar, lead vocals) promises to be “a seething good time.”

To dispel a couple of myths right off the bat, the band is not really a jug band. And even though they won the Austin Music Award for Best Bluegrass Band three years in a row, they are not a bluegrass band.

This group is simply a threesome of well-seasoned string masters who are so good at what they do they quite possibly sold their souls to the devil a few years back. They pack an amazing performance, demonstrating impressive skill on guitars, fiddles and mandolins.

While the trio has been playing together for about four years, front man Hyland plays guitar with two musical prodigies who have fiddled together for quite some time.

“They are tremendous musicians,” Hyland said about his band mates.

Brian Beken has been taking fiddle lessons since he was eight years old, and he plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar, piano, organ and sings for the group. Dennis Ludiker (mandolin, fiddle) also grew up around fiddles. His parents were fiddle teachers, and Hyland said he would hear fiddle playing in his house up to eight hours a day.

“That would drive anyone mental,” Hyland said.

Indeed; all that fiddling has made Ludiker mental. Well, more of a crazy-good musician.

The string trio is currently on tour promoting their new album Strange Invitation, released April 1. It’s the first album Hyland said they wrote as a trio.

“It’s the best music we’ve ever made,” Hyland said. “It is one whole piece of art. [The songs] stand together perfectly.”

The group holed up in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City to write the album for about seven days.

“I thought we needed to find new inspiration,” Hyland said. “It’s hard not to find inspiration in New York.”

They rented two rooms, and turned one into a studio. They literally did not leave the hotel until they wrote 11 incredible tracks, full of passion and professionalism. Hyland said they spent a lot of time hanging out on the roof among the makeshift flowerbeds and lawn chairs.

“That hotel, it was interesting enough,” Hyland said.

What they left with was Strange Invitation. They named the album title after a Beck song lyric in “Jack Ass.” It’s also the only cover track on the album. Hyland said Beck is one of the band’s big inspirations.

It’s a solid album that flows from one great Americana song to the next. Hyland’s lyrics are narrative and highly vivid. He tells a variety of issue-oriented stories and of course, some love stories with a Dylan-esque croon. You’ll want to hang onto every word while gently swaying in a hammock of strings.

Hyland said the band is excited to play Baton Rouge again. He said they had a good time last time they were here in January even though one of the audience members stole a tambourine.

“Everything’s cool about [Baton Rouge],” he said. “Louisiana’s so close to home.”

Hyland said the band tailors their live acts with cues from the audience. Sometimes they don’t make a set list. They just show up and blow everyone away with improvisation and showmanship. It all depends on what the listeners want.

“It really is an organic thing,” Hyland said.

So, how do they plan on catering to a Baton Rouge audience?

“Chelsea’s is pretty much a rock show,” Hyland said. “It is pretty high energy.”

Check out music from The South Austin Jug Band’s new album Strange Invitation Saturday, April 5. The show starts at 10:30 p.m.

By the way, tambourine thief, Hyland said they would not be mad if you brought their tambourine back and jammed with them a little. If not, they have a back up.

E-mail the author at Madeline@tigerweekly.com

Originally Published: Issue 602 - April 2, 2008

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