I recently heard the dynamic entertainer Curtis Eller for the first time, and the NYC based multi-instrumentalist’s 08 album Wirewalkers and Assassins is a quirky yet charming, rocking old-timey brand of folk rock. Eller, who has been described as the “angriest yodeling banjo player” and has cited influences such as Buster Keaton, Elvis Presley and Abraham Lincoln, lays down 10 songs which read like historical narratives, telling tales of John Wilkes Booth, John Brown, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, P.T. Barnum, Joe Lewis, and Elvis. This follow-up to 04’s Americana album Taking up Serpents Again features finger picking banjo, organ, walking upright bass, accordion with occasional yodeling and explicit language. Top tracks include “Sweatshop Fire”, “Sugar for the Horses”, “Hartford Circus Fire, 1944” and closer “Save Me Joe Lewis” – if you are looking for something unique, this album is definitely a must listen. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Bliss Blood, Frank Fairfield, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Two Man Gentlemen Band, The WIYOS, Woody Pines