Skiffle bands, an offshoot of the brief jugband craze that relied on inexpensive instruments like washboard, banjo and guitar, originated around the 1920s within the black community before taking off in Britain, influencing artists ranging from The Beatles to Billy Bragg. They were all acoustic aggregations that played a mix of country, blues, swing and folk music that emphasized improvisation. The Skiffle Players honor that tradition with their heavily rhythmic approach, but they also chart new territory thanks to some new arrangements that occasionally veer off into prog-rock territory. The all-star California players complement their sound with a taste of electric bass and keyboards here and there, but most of this is down-home rock, served up with a touch of sardonic humor. Case in point, the Dylan meets Grateful Dead romp of “The Law Offices of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe.” The title is an old joke, but the Skiffles make it new again with a list of real and imagined felonies that the law firm turns into windfall profits for their clients and themselves. They dance into more serious territory on “Oakland Scottish Rite Temple Waltz,” a take on “The Tennessee Waltz,” allowing the acoustic bass and droning keyboard to give the heartbreaking tale a somber backdrop. The penultimate track, “Santa Fe,” is the most sonically adventurous, with washes of sci-fi keyboard floating above dark sustained harmonium notes and flurries of improvised guitar that support Cass McCombs’ moaning vocals. As Aaron Sperske adds frisky jugband percussion flourishes to the tune’s coda, the traditional skiffle-flavored arrangement of “Sweet Georgia Brown” closes the set by showcasing everyone in the band’s considerable chops.