Curtis Paul Eller (born 1970,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

) is a

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, and storyteller based in Durham, NC. Eller's work draws 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

. 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 Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( ; July 24, 1897 – January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her li ...

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; March 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Born in Chicago, R ...

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

, and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

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 seven full-length albums and several EPs and singles with his ban
Curtis Eller's American Circus
These releases include

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

(2000)
Banjo Music For Funerals
(2002), Taking Up Serpents Again(2004), Wirewalkers & Assassins(2008)
Saving my Heart for the Butcherman
(2012)

(2014), A Poison Melody (2019), Fusebox Pennies: Collected Singles (2022) & Another Nice Mess (2024). The recordings feature Eller on banjo and lead vocals and a backing band that has varied over the years, often consisting of electric and upright bass, drums, accordion, pedal steel, tuba, violin, a horn section, and three-part harmony. Eller frequently tours the US, UK, Europe and Canada, both as a solo act and as the leader of his band The American Circus. 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. In 2010, Eller relocated to Durham, NC where he continues to record and perform regularly. In 2015 Eller started working with dancer/choreographer Stacy Wolfson to form The Bipeds. Wolfson and Eller have devised a unique compositional approach that seamlessly combines movement, music and lyrics to create a peculiar and compelling hybrid of dance and song. The Bipeds were commissioned to create a piece for the

American Dance Festival The American Dance Festival (ADF) under the direction of Executive Director Jodee Nimerichter hosts its main summer dance courses including Summer Dance Intensive, Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and the Dance Professional Workshops. It also ho ...

's 2024 Made in NC Showcase. That piece was "We Know This By Heart" (the accompanying song appears on Eller's newest album ''Another Nice Mess'').

References

Discography

With The American Circus
Full Length Albums:
1890 (2000)
Taking Up Serpents Again (2004)
Wirewalkers & Assassins (2008)
1890 (2011 Remix)
How to Make It in Hollywood (2014)
A Poison Melody(2019)
Fusebox Pennies: Collected Singles (2022)
Another Nice Mess (2024)
EP/Singles:
Banjo Music For Funerals (2002)
Saving My Heart for the Butcherman (2012)
Baudelaire in a Box: Songs of Anguish (2015)
Henry Kissinger's Dance Party (2016)
This is Christmas Time (2020)
Here Comes New Year's Day (2021)
With The Bipeds
54 Strange Words (2018)
Bury the Light (2020)
We Know This By Heart (2024)

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

a biographical overview and discography
American Songwriter Interview
An interview with Curtis Eller for American Songwriter Magazine" * : A review of "Taking Up Serpents Again"

A Spanish review of "Taking Up Serpents Again"
AmericanaUK
A review of "Another Nice Mess" {{DEFAULTSORT:Eller, Curtis 1970 births Living people American banjoists Musicians from New York City

References

Discography

External links