The Speakeasy Boys started out as a group of local musicians who simply like to get together and play music. Every Sunday, they would meet up and play bluegrass along the banks of the Potomac River near Packhorse Ford, located outside of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and at a nearby house dubbed "the Speakeasy" (hence the band's name).
After about two years, they decided to start performing in front of an audience, instead of the usual barrel fire of barbeque chicken and fish. In 2003, they moved their jam to Ed’s Taproom, a local pub in Shepherdstown, where they played every other Tuesday night for nearly a year. Nowadays, they play a wide variety of venues, including pubs, clubs, theaters, festivals, parades, local events and private parties.
The Speakeasy Boys play traditional and non-traditional acoustic, bluegrass and old-time music, in their own unique zesty river hobo jugband style. The sound is very much like what you would hear at a jam circle – bluegrass and old-time tunes played in a rustic, upbeat, jam style, where each musician has the opportunity to play a tune and there are plenty of ‘breaks’ (solos). The musicians are a blend of various styles and musicial backgrounds, so lots of different sounds and influences can be heard in their music.
The Speakeasy Boys consist of two guitars, mandolin, banjo, washtub bass, fiddle, harmonica, washboard and saw, though they frequently feature other instruments including a homemade tin-can contraption (affectionately named Jeb Junior) that is played with a pair of spoons, the nose-flute, kazu, and electric lapsteel guitar. In addition to bluegrass and old-time, they also play country, gypsy swing, blues, folk, celtic, and have even been known to play rock, reggae, and other sytles occasionally.
The Speakeasy Boys are all about having fun and wherever they go, it's a party!
