Homegrown Music

Former Mother Earth News columnist and musician Marc Bristol hosts this hybrid of "how-to" and performance video, which shows viewers how to make a washtub bass (or "gut bucket"), play a washboard, blow on a jug, and play a saw. Each brief instructional segment is followed by a music video, featuring Bristol and either the Blisswater Jug Band or the File` Gumbo Band. However, there's not really enough instruction here to make a good instructional video, and there's not really enough music to make a good music video. To make matters worse, there's little connection between the two: the songs played after the washtub bass and jug instructional segments, for example, are notable for including neither of those instruments. On the other hand, there's probably not a whole slew of videos out there on making a washtub bass or playing a saw. Libraries with large music collections--especially those emphasizing folk--may want to consider; for others, this is a not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)