Cincinnati Dancing Pigs Jug Band

What.........are the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs?

The Cincinnati Dancing Pigs are Cincinnati's premier Jug Band. They have been around since the early years of the Rolling Stones, have lasted longer than the Beatles and have more living members than the Grateful Dead. In the Cincinnati Enquirer they were once compared to the Julliard String Quartet, although not favorably. They have played at every Tall Stacks, at the Cincinnati Bicentennial Celebration, for the runners in the Flying Pig Marathon, many times in the summer concert series at the amphitheater in Eden Park, for the Art Museum, for a sit down dinner on the observation deck of the Carew Tower, and in many bars, back yards and living rooms throughout the area. From country club weddings to pig roasts to 4th of July parties, they have shamelessly wound up audiences at every variety of event.

The band features Eric "Hambone" Buhrer on the jug, slide whistle, kazoo, bird calls, train whistle, boat whistle and various other sound producing devices as well as his singing talents. Sharing vocals with Eric is Keith "Fishstick" Baker who also covers percussion, with hemp-clad hands majestically flailing at his classic Columbus Washboard Company instrument accessorized with cymbal, teak blocks, and sundry bells. Ed "Hubcap" Horning enhances the ensemble with his banjo ukulele (one instrument), harmonica, and vocals. Eric "Catfish" Evans lends a hand with astounding guitar playing and rare vocals, and Tom "Swinestein" Beck ties it all together with fine work on the bull fiddle and additional vocals.

Together the Pigs perform songs ranging from turn-of-the-century ballads (think Gay '90s), to songs that barely made it in time for the most recent turn-of-the-century. Many of them are humorous, some are rendered funny simply by being performed by a Jug Band, and others are done for no apparent reason other than the fact that someone in the band was able to remember all the words. When asked to describe this band it is best to deflect the question or tell the uninformed that they simply have to experience "The Pigs" for themselves, for any attempt at a description will leave both the narrator and the listener befuddled.

So make it your mission to find this band wherever they may be. Try looking at Arnold's Bar and Grill, or perhaps the Zoo or Fountain Square, or in one of Cincinnati's many fine parks or museums, or even on a street corner downtown. Wherever it is, you will no doubt leave the experience thinking. . . thinking. . .

An old "About the Pigs" Or, "Things haven't changed much"

Cincinnati Post Article The Post writes about The Pigs!