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Community
GOOD GRIEF
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jugs and washboards, Southern enslaved people with nothing would “hambone”, creating memorable rhythms by slapping themselves. Later, found objects (like washboards and jugs) and loud soundmakers (like kazoos and bells) would add a raucous celebration to the acknowledge- ment of the death of a friend or loved one. Remember, death for some time was the only release from slavery, a release worth cel- ebrating. The grief was, in that sense, Good Grief.
Good Grief Jug Band is the only band of its kind in the New- found Region. The members are Daniel Moore on harmonica and washboard, Josiah Ahlgren on bass, Janet Finlayson, who sings and plays banjo, and Pa- mela “Sam” Adams, who also sings and plays numerous instru- ments. Sam organized the band and continues to be its facilita- tor. These four musicians offer a fun-loving experience of an eclectic genre that emerged in the 1920s, when African Americans migrated in large numbers to the
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November 2025
nation’s growing cities, carrying with them the sounds of rag- time, Dixieland, and, of course, the jug band. Coincidentally, this was the first decade of recorded music, making possible the pop- ular appeal of such jug bands as Clifford Hayes’s “Old South Jug Band” and Will Shade’s “Mem- phis Jug Band”.
The jug band, Good Grief, is also quick to recognize the influ- ence of the Jug Band revival of the 1960s, noteworthy for the influence of jug band music on that decade’s popular bands like The Loving Spoonful and The Grateful Dead. Good Grief is most indebted to Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band for its unique sound. By recognizing that Good Grief performs an eclectic genre, one means that its music is mul- ticultural. Each performance may include ragtime, blues, spir- ituals, even West Virginia “hol- ler” tunes, British Isle reels, and a sampling of Cajun two-step rhythms like zydeco.
The four members of the Good Grief Jug Band are bonded by a shared love of the music they make, but they also share another bond. The band’s
name reveals the way each mem- ber is healing from the trau- matic death of loved ones. Dan Moore, originally from Washing- ton, DC, was the band’s music history trivia expert and group humorist, and he lost both his wife and son. Janet Finlayson, who grew up near Boston, with a Master's Degree in Music Therapy and years of work in geriatrics, has experienced a per- sonal loss with the death of her twin brother during the COVID era. Perhaps this loss enriched what is regarded as the band’s most melodic voice. The group’s most versatile musician and vo- calist is Sam (Pamela) Adams. Sam lost her husband, Mike, re-
cently. They had been married 37 years. Sam, the group’s lead singer, imparts a genuine repli- cation of harsh blues. According to Dan Moore, she can express both the hardships and joys of life rendered in the style of the celebrated blues singer Koko Taylor. Other listeners hear the soulful vocalizing of Big Mama Thornton. Josiah Ahlgren, from Sanbornton, prominent in height and with an impressive beard, says he experiences “centering” and a “peace” as the group per- forms. Perhaps this brings relief from the sadness of the loss of a beloved brother. Although as a carpenter Josiah embraces the “real stuff” like “wood and con-
crete”, his occasional musings leads one to think that this Bates graduate has many metaphysical thoughts behind the pluck of his right hand on the strings of his big bass, which is a “real stuff” instrument. (It’s acoustic and made of wood.)
Good Grief Jug Band is avail- able for private parties, com- memorative events, as well as community festivities. Those in the gatherings do not have to be “grieving” to enjoy the band’s renditions of My Gal, Overseas Stomp, Bill Bailey, or the upt- empo blues of All Aboard (to name a few in Good Grief’s rep- ertoire). Although not promising a religious experience, enjoying the “present moment” one shares with the band can engender a “spiritual high”. Listening to Good Grief, even the most intel- lectual might say, “Ah, that tastes good!” which coincidentally were the last words spoken by the very cerebral Johannes Brahms as, passing from a very creative life, he enjoyed his final sip of wine.
To contact Good Grief Jug Band, e-mail wrenglass@gmail. com.