Curtis Eller
Encyclopedia
Curtis Eller is a banjo
player
, yodeler and songwriter
based in New York City
.
Eller's work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of direct or indirect influences from the first half of the 20th Century, combined with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of rock & roll energy. Many of the lyrics deal with American politics both historical and contemporary. He got an early introduction to show business when his father ran the Hiller Old Tyme Circus in Detroit, Michigan
.
The songwriting draws on many historical people and events but addresses contemporary American culture. Lyrical subjects have ranged from pigeon racing and performing elephants to sweatshop fires and presidential assassinations and the Hartford circus fire of 1944. Historical figures as diverse as Buster Keaton
, Abraham Lincoln
, Amelia Earhart
, Joe Louis
, Jack Ruby
, and Elvis Presley
appear in the lyrical content.
Eller has released three full length CDs and a one EP with his band Curtis Eller's American Circus. [ 1890] (2000), Banjo Music For Funerals (2002), [ Taking Up Serpents Again] (2004), [ Wirewalkers & Assassins] (2008). The recordings feature Eller on banjo & lead vocals and a backing band that consists of upright bass, drums, accordion, pedal steel, tuba, violin and lots of three part harmony.
Eller does away with the backing band and tours the US, Canada and Europe extensively as a solo act. In addition to the usual folk, punk and indie-rock clubs, he has appeared in numerous unusual venues, including funerals, horse races, vaudeville/burlesque revues. He has shared the stage with contortionists, strippers, glass-eaters and folksingers. The live performances are high energy, intensively physical events that have more than once landed Eller on crutches.
Banjo Music For Funerals (2002)
Taking Up Serpents Again (2004)
Wirewalkers & Assassins (2008)
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, yodeler and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Eller's work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of direct or indirect influences from the first half of the 20th Century, combined with a modern perspective and a healthy dose of rock & roll energy. Many of the lyrics deal with American politics both historical and contemporary. He got an early introduction to show business when his father ran the Hiller Old Tyme Circus in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
The songwriting draws on many historical people and events but addresses contemporary American culture. Lyrical subjects have ranged from pigeon racing and performing elephants to sweatshop fires and presidential assassinations and the Hartford circus fire of 1944. Historical figures as diverse as Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean...
, Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
, and Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
appear in the lyrical content.
An excellent and highly intriguing singer/songwriter who is based in New York City, Curtis Eller has successfully brought a variety of influences to his unorthodox folk-rock vision. The banjo-playing Eller's work has an old-time feel, drawing on an abundance of direct or indirect influences from the '20s, '30s, and '40s (including country singer Jimmie Rodgers, cowboy icon Gene Autry, and Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson). But Eller's material is far from a carbon copy of music from that era -- there is plenty of rock bite and attitude in his rootsy work, which also contains elements of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and the ballsy outlaw country of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. Eller, consciously or unconsciously, reminds listeners what Dylan, Cash, Son House, Pete Seeger, and Haggard have in common -- they are all known for being effective storytellers, and storytelling is where Eller himself shines. --Alex Hederson (Allmusic)
Eller has released three full length CDs and a one EP with his band Curtis Eller's American Circus. [ 1890] (2000), Banjo Music For Funerals (2002), [ Taking Up Serpents Again] (2004), [ Wirewalkers & Assassins] (2008). The recordings feature Eller on banjo & lead vocals and a backing band that consists of upright bass, drums, accordion, pedal steel, tuba, violin and lots of three part harmony.
Eller does away with the backing band and tours the US, Canada and Europe extensively as a solo act. In addition to the usual folk, punk and indie-rock clubs, he has appeared in numerous unusual venues, including funerals, horse races, vaudeville/burlesque revues. He has shared the stage with contortionists, strippers, glass-eaters and folksingers. The live performances are high energy, intensively physical events that have more than once landed Eller on crutches.
Discography
1890 (2000)Banjo Music For Funerals (2002)
Taking Up Serpents Again (2004)
Wirewalkers & Assassins (2008)
External links
- Curtis Eller's Official Website www.curtiseller.com
- Curtis Eller on Myspace www.myspace.com/curtiseller
- [ Allmusic]: a biographical overview and discography
- Curtis Eller on Last.FM: A selection of recordings, biographical information, discography and discussion
- American Songwriter Interview: An interview with Curtis Eller for American Songwriter Magazine
- Whisperin' & Hollerin': A British review of "Wirewalkers & Assassins"
- Sepiachord: An American review of "Wirewalkers & Assassins"
- Roots & Rsonance Interview: An interview with Curtis Eller
- Delusions Of Adequacy: A review of "Taking Up Serpents Again"
- Mundo Rock: A Spanish review of "Taking Up Serpents Again"
- A Song By Curtis Eller: Hartford History Website (feature article)
- Master Of Serpents: Philadelphia City Paper (feature article)
- Strumming Dark Songs Of Disaster: Boston Globe feature article