This reporter heard Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets on KDNK a while back and figured they were probably a touring band playing at Steve’s Guitars that night. Wrong.
They are local folks.
After hearing the band play to a good-sized crowd at the KDNK First Friday open house a week or so later, it seemed a Q&A interview was in order. The following questions were put to band leader Morgan Williams. So, without further delay:
Sopris Sun: Do you have any other shows lined up?
Morgan Williams: Not yet. We are currently trying to line up gigs. If anyone out there is interested in booking us, contact me at 970-404-7125 or find us on Facebook at Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets, then send a message.
Sun: What are some of the instruments you use at various times during a typical show?
Williams: Sweet Jessup is pretty gimmicky in a fun way. We like to incorporate as many fun instruments as possible: Kazoos, a toy piano, singing saw, slide whistle, slide guitar, buckets and baby toys for percussion. We aren’t snobs about sound. Deb is our token slide-whistle master.
Sun: How many octaves does the toy piano have?
Williams: Unfortunately, the toy piano has two octaves. They are for sure out of tune. If there are any toy-piano tuners out there, please contact us.
Sun: Who is in the band?
Williams: Deb Colley, Ashton Taufer, Alex Regginelli, Brian Colley (Deb’s brother) and myself.
Sun: Where does the name come from?
Williams: When I was living abroad, I conjured up the name. I really thought the Sweet Jessup diversion ditch, which comes out of the Crystal River upriver of the KOA (formerly BRB) campground and takes water to Crystal River Ranch, was a cool name. I originally thought, “Sweet Jessup and the Bucket Brigade” because I knew I wanted bucket percussion. However, after Reggie played with us, he literally was playing a bucket that left dirt all over our living room floor. Also, the bucket had some really bad, dirty poetry on it. The name stuck.
Sun: Do you plan to record a CD or make your music available electronically?
Williams: This is on our list of things to do. Organizing five peoples’ lives is pretty challenging. Also, we need to throw down some money to make this happen.
Sun: Who writes the songs?
William: I write the songs. I’m usually the one bringing the songs to the group and then we workshop them. Reggie usually has some really good compositional ideas that we make happen. We currently play only two cover songs.
Sun: How do you describe your sound?
Williams: Upbeat Carbonbilly folk, trashy haunted punk blues and foot-stomping rag Americana. April, from “Ape on the Dink” on KDNK, coined the term “Carbonbilly.” Thanks, April.
Sun: Have you played enough live to figure out crowd favorites? At the KDNK patio gig the chicken song and something about tequila seemed to be crowd faves.
Williams: Yeah, I do think people like the tequila song because we yell-sing that favorite word out loud for as long as we can, and then we go into a rocking blues instrumental. The chicken song is about the devastation of a flock and is pretty comedically melodramatic. Kids love to “bawk” with us at the end of the song.
Sun: Where does everyone live?
Williams: Everyone lives in Carbondale and Glenwood.
Sun: You and Deb are married?
Williams: Yep!
Sun: Does anyone play with other groups? Ashton?
Williams: Oh yeah. Cross pollination is major. Ashton is so well-rounded and in so many different projects it’s hard to keep count. Ashton and I also have another electronic project called Beep Bop Boop and also play in an acoustic project called Hecate Spring.
Sun: What are your musical and songwriting influences?
Williams: 1990s Indie rock, though we sound nothing like that. Other influences include Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, etc. I like sappy folk such as Gregory Alan Isakov. I’m also really moved by Muddy Waters and especially early recordings of John Lee Hooker. I guess the only music I don’t really enjoy is metal.
Sun: Have you played Steve’s Guitars yet?
Williams: Yeah, we had an awesome, packed-house show at Steve’s that was just rocking. Such fun energy.
Sun: A lot of people know Deb as a dancer. Has she sung with anyone else locally?
Williams: Deb first started singing as a kid and continued into college. However, in her adult life, she focused on dancing. But she would always sing around the campfire with others or with me. But in the last year, after taking lessons with local teachers, her voice has come into form again and she is really rocking it for Sweet Jessup, and for her own recitals.
Sun: Is the current five member lineup set, or do members come and go?
Williams: We are pretty much just the five of us.
Sun: What would be your dream gig? Red Rocks?
Williams: Ha ha! Red Rocks? Realistically, I think it would be cool to play in the Telluride band competition in a couple years after our sound gets dialed in.