Curtis Eller - 12 Bar - 11th April 2004

Easter Day in Preston took a turn for the bizarre this year with the arrival of the moustached, American eccentric, Curtis Eller, and his unique brand of deep-south, banjo-touting storytelling.

By 4.00pm, Mr Eller was already half an hour late on stage and Preston’s new blues bar was packed to the rafters with adults and students alike, possessing very little idea of what to expect.

Unmistakeable

From the moment Mr Eller, in himself a microcosm of small-town USA, took the stage, the unmistakeable twang of his banjo indicated the afternoon would take on a rather different shape from the typical Easter Sunday:

Hey folks, you like like a nice bunch of kids. What are you doing in a pub on Easter Day? Boy, Jesu’s gonna kick your ass, don’t you know he’s back today?”

Brash, blunt, and unconcerned for the originality or controversy of his act in these parts, Mr Eller went on to perform a rousing set of narrative bluegrass encapsulating the feel and sound of ‘back home’ and depositing it with a heartfelt stamp in the back yard of North-West England.

Dancing freakshow

Strangely romanticised, finger-picking tales of executions, ghost towns and downtown Detroit were the flavour of the afternoon, as Eller jumped, stomped and flung himself around the stage like a boneless, dancing freakshow.

Even the Great Britain gymnastics team would do themselves proud to mirror some of his guitar playing stances as Curtis wrapped his legs around the neck of his banjo and rocked side-to-side, randomly flinging limbs in all directions, with a stare angry and mischievous enough to unnerve even the stiffest upper lip.

Mr Curtis Eller and his American Circus remain in the country for only a few days before sailing back to the homeland, so if you fancy a trip to insanity and back be sure to check out his gig listing at www.curtiseller.com/genshownoframes.html

Written by Dan Jeoffroy

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