The Bumper Jacksons perform at Biscuit Jam 2016 in DC on Saturday, August 6. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

The Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. turned two years old recently, and instead of simply selling $2 biscuits or some other kitschy idea, it threw a proper birthday bash in Ivy City and called it the Biscuit Jam.

Held at the Industrious Warehouse (1900 Kendall St. NE, DC) on Saturday, Biscuit Jam offered up music, drink, food, and art on a sunny day. The full entertainment line-up consisted of a slate of regional bands: Jonny Grave & The Tombstones, Justin Trawick & The Common Good, Oh He Dead, Jahnel Daliya, Brian Farrow & What Got Over, Ampersand Stringband, and The Bumper Jacksons.

Parklife DC was there to catch a bit of the musical action, specifically with Ampersand Stringband and the Bumper Jacksons, and both bands proved quite entertaining. Ampersand Stringband, based in Annapolis, Maryland, consists of mandolinist Cory Chubb, guitarist Dave Zelonka, banjoist Jason Zeckowski, and bassist Mark Strother. The men share and trade vocal duties, and they brought along a lady fiddler, who added some zip to their sound. The Stringband certainly have an agreeable twang in songs like “Coming Home to You” and “Don’t Just Break My Heart.”

Here are a few pictures of the Ampersand Stringband performing on Saturday.

The Bumper Jacksons, from our own DC town, dabbled in roots, country, and blues with a talented six-member crew, including vocalist Jess Eliot Myhre (who also plays clarinet and washboard), vocalist and guitarist Chris Ousley, bassist Alex Lacquement, drummer Dan Samuels, pedal steel guitarist Dave Hadley, and trombonist Brian Priebe.

It was my first encounter with the Bumper Jacksons, and I found them to be a breath of fresh air! They have a repertoire of peppy songs made for swing dancing like “Coffee Mama,” “Come All You Virginia Gals,” and “Darlin’ Corey” — and the vibe definitely takes you back the 1940’s. The crowd at Biscuit Jam had a lot of fun listening to the Bumper Jacksons.

Here are a few pictures of The Bumper Jacksons performing at Biscuit Jam on Saturday.

The field of the warehouse also housed a live graffiti art session, produced by One Love Massive. There was a silent auction of the graffiti works during the day.

Here are a few pictures of the graffiti art displays, along with artists at work!

And while enjoying music and art, Biscuit Jam patrons could patronize food trucks (outside the warehouse) and stalls (inside the warehouse), offering meals from vendors like Amavi Sweets, Arepa Zone, Black Pearl Tarts, BBQ Bus, The Big Cheese Truck, Capitol Kettle Corn, Capital Candy Jar, Confluence Coffee, DC Brau, Dorpare Tea, Gouter, Ivy City Smokehouse, Krave Jerky, Milk Cult, Momme Meals, PinUp Preserves, Popcorn Queens, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Singer’s Significant Meats, Southern Efficiency, The Ugly Mug, and more.

Well, all in all it was a great event. But one small complaint, Mason Dixie! Later in the day, we couldn’t buy your biscuits! Free Mason Dixie biscuits went quickly earlier in the day, but we were hungry for some biscuits later as well. Perhaps you can add your own stall to the mix next year?