Interview with Mulebone: Exploring Innovative Roots Music

August 23, 2026

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Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Hugh Pool and Jon Ragusa of Mulebone

Mulebone is the long-running blues and roots partnership of guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Hugh Pool and multi-instrumentalist Jon Ragusa. Built on the foundation of traditional blues, the duo takes the language of country blues, folk, roots music, and early American song forms and stretches it into something soulful, agile, and adventurous.

At the heart of Mulebone is a rare musical conversation between two players who know the tradition well enough to honor it, but not so carefully that they forget to have some fun with it. Their music can move from slide-guitar boogies and one-chord trance riffs in the spirit of Howlin’ Wolf to the uptempo ragtime snap of Reverend Gary Davis and the rural textures of country blues. Sometimes they play close to the source, almost tracing the outline of the original form. At other times, they step back, lift the music into the air, and look at it from a new angle.

Hugh Pool brings the grit, groove, and storytelling center to Mulebone. He plays National Steel, electric, cigar box, and acoustic guitars, adds harmonica and boot-board rhythm, and sings with a voice that sounds lived-in, weathered, and full of heart. A roots music specialist with a long career as a performer, recordist, and producer, Pool has toured internationally and has been recognized by major press outlets for his work in blues and American roots music. He is also the owner of Excello Recording in Brooklyn, where he has recorded and produced hundreds of records and worked on sessions involving artists including Taj Mahal, Debbie Harry, Marshall Crenshaw, and Molly Ringwald.

John Ragusa brings Mulebone its remarkable color and reach. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist, Ragusa plays conch shell, jaw harp, cornet, flutes, fifes, tin whistle, pennywhistle, bamboo and wooden flutes, and other instruments that most musicians would not even think to pack for a blues gig. He also sings harmony vocals, adding texture and lift to Pool’s lead voice. Ragusa’s range reflects a lifetime of musical exploration. He has been associated with artists including Beth Nielsen Chapman and Alison Brown, and his studio credits include work connected to contemporary jazz and world music artists such as Jeremy Wall, Joe Taylor, and Tom Zé.

Together, Pool and Ragusa create more sound, texture, and movement than two musicians should reasonably be able to produce without violating some local ordinance. Mulebone’s arrangements feel handmade, rhythmic, and alive, driven by the tension between deep blues tradition and the duo’s willingness to chase unexpected sounds. A conch shell may answer a guitar phrase. A flute may drift through a country blues groove. A boot board may hold the rhythm together while the song wanders into stranger and more beautiful territory.

Across their recording career, Mulebone has earned strong roots and Americana radio recognition, with their albums reaching the AMA Roots/Americana Top 100. Their album Keep On Movin’ was especially successful at radio, reaching the Top 40 and spending an extended run on the Americana chart as an independent release. That recognition reflects what has always made Mulebone distinctive: they are rooted in tradition, but they do not sound like a museum exhibit. The music moves.

Mulebone’s live performances have taken them into clubs, festivals, theaters, private events, and listening rooms, with the duo continuing to tour and perform into the present day. Recent listings and coverage show Mulebone active on the road, including Michigan dates and a 2026 appearance at The Livery in Benton Harbor. The longevity of the partnership is part of the story. Pool and Ragusa have been playing together for decades, developing the kind of musical trust that lets them stretch, improvise, and take chances without losing the song.

Mulebone is blues played with guts, technique, humor, and a without-a-net sense of adventure. It is old music made immediate again by two musicians who understand that the blues is not frozen in time. It is a living language, and in the hands of Hugh Pool and John Ragusa, it still has plenty of room to ramble.