Like Jay Leno’s nasal laugh on the TV, the A’s losing in the postseason or your menstrual cycle, the Christmas Jug Band is ever reliable—a local institution that always comes around when it’s time. Playing shows around the North Bay in December, the band, which sometimes features swing-jazz eccentric Dan Hicks, waddles this week into the Twin Oaks Tavern. Now led by former Uptown Theatre manager Sheila Groves and featuring a solid lineup of live music, the Twin Oaks is a classic bar and roadhouse that hasn’t changed since the 1920s—and a perfect place for some down-home Santa songs. Tip back a holiday ale on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Twin Oaks Tavern. 5745 Old Redwood Hwy., Penngrove. 8pm. $12. 707.795.5118.
