Curtis Eller's American Circus: "Carry the Faces (for Martha Wills)" video

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus have made a video for Carry the Faces (for Martha Wills), a track from their Another Nice Mess album. It is a song for all the people that were lost or forgotten.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: "Goddamn Loser" video

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus have made a video for Goddamn Loser, a track from their Another Nice Mess album. All of the band, except drummer Andy Lyth who was in the UK in Manchester, had a lot of fun at the Bull Tiki speakeasy in Durham, NC. They made the best of the absense of their band mate, by inserting footage of him making a call from a classic phone booth in England. Filmed by Graham Wolfson (Durham) and Saffy Lyth (Greater Manchester).

Curtis Eller's American Circus: "Sonny Liston Told Us" video for Tiny Desk Contest 2025

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus set up in bass player's Hugh Crumle basement to record a live video for Sonny Liston Told Us, the sad tale of a former heavy weight champion, for the Tiny Desk Contest 2025. It is a track from their Another Nice Mess album.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: "Another Nice Mess" video

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus have made a video for Another Nice Mess, the title track from their latest album. The clip features footage from the pie fight in Laurel & Hardy's 1927 silent short film, The Battle of the Century.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: American East Coast tour dates

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus have announced an American East Coast tour to promote their Another Nice Mess album: "They always have been a band that have a soft spot for outcasts, losers and people going their own way like the unnamed protagonist in Conscientious Objector. They make a case of straying from the mainstream and not give in to the values of Standard White Jesus, a cover of the Pat Macdonald song, with the killer line "Everybody want to be on a stamp, but nobody wants to die". True Love in the Exclusion Zone offers some pointers on how to write a good love song. O, and don't waste your youth on being part of a firing squad."

Curtis Eller: on tour in Australia

American banjo maestro Curtis Eller hits the road again, playing shows in Australia this time. Prepare for a night of joyous vaudeville tinged music. On the second leg he shares the bill with country artist Gleny Rae Virus, a singer who also plays a mean fiddle and knows her way around an accordion.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: crowdfunding campaign for new studio album "Another Nice Mess"

Curtis Eller's American Circus have launched a Kickstarter campaign to cover the costs of recording their new album Another Nice Mess:

Welcome to Our Little Big Top! You have found your way to the fundraising apparatus dedicated to the recording and release of the latest phonographic recording by Curtis Eller's American Circus. We are delighted to welcome you on board. We have previously produced two critically acclaimed albums with the indispensible help of our Kickstarter family. It is impossible to overstate how grateful we are for your continued support!

Curtis Eller: on tour in the US & UK

Banjo maestro Curtis Eller hits the road again, playing shows in the States and the UK. Prepare for a night of joyous vaudeville tinged music.

Live dates:

• 05/27 Downtown Common Grounds, Greensboro, NC
• 05/28 The American Circus at Dingo Dog (w/ Charming Disaster), Carrboro, NC
• 06/17 The Pinhook, Durham, NC
• 06/28 What's Cookin', London, UK
• 06/29 The Neptune Inn, Hove, UK
• 06/30 Maverick Festival, Easton, UK
• 07/01 The Arts Barge, York, UK
• 07/02 The Tin Music and Arts, Coventry, UK
• 07/04 The Ferret, Preston, UK
• 07/06 The Greystones, Sheffield, UK
• 07/07 The New Adelphi Club, Hull, UK
• 07/08 Moorforge Folk Festival, Gilcrux, UK
• 07/09 Cluny, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
• 09/28 Ziggy's, Ypsilanti, MI
• 09/29 The Clover Room, Kalamazoo, MI
• 09/30 Wizbang, Cleveland Heights, OH
• 10/07 North Georgia Folk Festival, Athens, GA
• 11/10 Dusk, Providence, RI

» curtiseller.com

Curtis Eller: on tour in the US & UK

Banjo maestro Curtis Eller hits the road again, playing shows in the States and the UK. Prepare for a night of joyous vaudeville tinged music.

Live dates:

• 07/13 The Robin, Lansing, MI
• 07/14 Ziggy's, Ypsilanti, MI
• 07/15 Wizbang Circus Theatre, Cleveland, OH
• 07/16 Isobel & Ernest, Kalamazoo, MI
• 07/17 House Concert, Kent, OH
• 08/04 Hat Creek Wine Shop, Carlisle, PA
• 08/05 Hat Creek Wine Shop, Carlisle, PA
• 08/06 Burd's Nest Brewing Company, Carlisle, PA
• 09/01 Beer & Banjos at The Pit, Durham, NC
• 09/09 The Tin Music and Arts, Coventry, UK
• 09/10 Aces and Eights Saloon Bar, London, UK
• 09/11 Sunset on the West Festival, Bristol, UK
• 09/12 The Greys, Brighton, UK
• 09/14 The Arts Barge, York, UK
• 09/15 The Ferret, Preston, UK
• 09/16 The New Adelphi Club, Hull, UK
• 09/17 The Eagle Inn, Salford, UK
• 09/19 Greystones, Sheffield, UK
• 10/22 Craft & Draft Festival, Radford, VA
• 10/22 Panorama Ballroom (house concert), Blacksburg, VA

» curtiseller.com

Curtis Eller: tour dates

Banjo ace Curtis Eller will hit the road in the US for the first time in two years, playing seven shows in five states.

Live dates:

• 03/03 Charlotte, NC @ Petra's
• 03/04 Asheville, NC @ The Odditorium
• 03/05 Carrboro, NC @ The Station
• 03/16 Harrisonburg, VA @ Clementine
• 03/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Pete's Candy Store
• 03/18 Bloomsburg, PA @ West End Ale Haus
• 03/19 Baltimore, MD @ Black Cherry Puppet Theater

» curtiseller.com

Curtis Eller: Here Comes New Year's Day

Curtis Eller and his band pay tribute to the glorious '60s sound of Detroit on their semi-festive single Here Comes New Year's Day, mixing jazz and soul, with sax player Steve Cowle leading way in a story about a heartbroken tightrope walker. There is no Hollywood ending, which is quite refreshing.

The Bipeds: Bury the Light

The Bipeds, a dance company and rock 'n' roll band from Durham, NC, led by banjo player Curtis Eller and choreographer Stacy Wolfson, are back with a new single, Bury the Light. It is their most ambitious composition to date, an old school folk song about death and darkness. The video was directed byAlex Maness.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: A Poison Melody

photo: Alex Maness

Curtis Eller's American Circus is one of those extremely rare acts who can mix politics and fun and find a perfect balance between the two. On their new album A Poison Melody they touch base with nuclear war (Radiation Poison), hitting the airwaves without business folks calling the shots (No Soap Radio), the godfather of stand-up comedy Lenny Bruce and flooding (Waist Deep In the Big Muddy).

They still sound old time folk jazz big band firing on all cylinders, the kind that is here to entertain and teach. Band leader Curtis Eller plays a mean banjo, bass player Hugh Crumley lays down swinging bottom end, but it's Steve Cowles who steals the show with his flute parts. Alan Lomax would have loved them and sung his praises about the two-punch Before the Riot and After the Riot about racial prejudices.

The Bipeds: 54 Strange Words

photo: Kim Walker

Meet The Bipeds, a dance company and rock 'n' roll band from Durham, NC, led by banjo player Curtis Eller and choreographer Stacy Wolfson. Their latest project is called 54 Strange Words, about the state between dreams and reality. The music brings back the sound of the Weimar era operas of Weill and Brecht, topped off with dark Americana and blues. It's rough and intense, with call-and-response vocals.

Ever felt that you were falling only to be saved by your soft bed? That's what happens in A Ragged Sayonara. The lines are blurred in the lyrics on this album, when reality checks don't work out as they turn out to be an integral part of the dream. Giant Skeleton House is spooky like a child's fantasy, with plenty of echo and reverb. A Surgical Solution is doubtful from a medical point of view, but might work if the patient is desperate enough. 54 words is destined to be a full-on experience, with dance and music working together to tell the story.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: crowdfunding campaign for new studio album

Curtis Eller's American Circus have launched a Kickstarter campaign to cover the costs of recording their new album:

Welcome to the official fundraising headquarters of Curtis Eller's American Circus! In uncertain times such as these, the citizens of an anxious nation inevitably turn to the dulcet tone of the five-string banjo to ease their troubled minds. Eller and the band are diligently at work on a new full-length phonograph recording to guide you through the dark and dire days ahead.

Curtis Eller: European tour dates

Banjo maestro Curtis Eller flys across the big pond to play shows in the UK, The Netherlands and Belgium. Vaudeville, politics and good times included. He will be performing with a full band. Indielabel Brandy Alexander Recordings is s giving the How to Make It in Hollywood album an official Dutch release in Rotterdam on August 11.

Live dates:

• 07/21 Bristol, UK @ Grain Barge
• 07/22 Aldershot, UK @ Westival
• 07/23 New Milton, UK @ Forest Arts Centre
• 07/24 Barnsley, UK @ Underneath the Stars
• 07/26 Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny 2
• 07/27 Hull, UK @ New Adelphi
• 07/28 Manchester, UK @ Ruby Lounge
• 07/29 Hebdon Bridge, UK @ Trades Club

Curtis Eller: show in Leiden added

Banjo ace Curtis Eller has added shows in Leiden to his tour in The Netherlands and Belgium. He will be accompanied by an upright bass player. Vaudeville, politics and good times included.

Live dates:

• 11/28 Brussels, Belgium @ House Concert
• 12/01 Wevelgem, Belgium @ Avenue de Polka
• 12/03 Middelburg, The Netherlands @ Kaffee 't Hoff
• 12/04 Utrecht, The Netherlands @ dB's Studio
• 12/05 Leiden, The Netherlands @ Vrijplaats

» curtiseller.com

HCTF review of How to Make It in Hollywood.

Curtis Eller: more dates in The Netherlands and Belgium

Curtis Eller has added shows in Rotterdam, Wevelgem and Utrecht to his tour in The Netherlands and Belgium. The banjo maestro will be accompanied by an upright bass player. Vaudeville, politics and good times included.

Live dates:

• 11/19 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ "Lucky's Liederlijke Avond" at De Kring
• 11/20 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ De Nieuwe Anita
• 11/21 Haarlem, The Netherlands @ Irrational Library (in-store 4:00pm)
• 11/21 Haarlem, The Netherlands @ Patronaat Café (9:00pm)
• 11/22 Castricum, The Netherlands @ De Bakkerij
• 11/23 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Zaal 100
• 11/25 Rotterdam, The Netherlands @ Koffie & Ambacht
• 11/27 Ghent, Belgium @ House Concert
• 11/28 Brussels, Belgium @ House Concert
• 12/01 Wevelgem, Belgium @ Avenue de Polka
• 12/03 Middelburg, The Netherlands @ Kaffee 't Hoff
• 12/04 Utrecht, The Netherlands @ dB's Studio

» curtiseller.com

HCTF review of How to Make It in Hollywood.

Curtis Eller: on tour in The Netherlands and Belgium

After a playing a gig in his home state North Carolina @ Tir Na Nog in Raleigh (10/29) Curtis Eller takes his banjo and an upright bass player across the big pond to tear it up in The Netherlands and Belgium. Vaudeville, politics and good times included.

Live dates:

• 11/19 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ "Lucky's Liederlijke Avond" at De Kring
• 11/20 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ De Nieuwe Anita
• 11/21 Haarlem, The Netherlands @ Irrational Library
• 11/21 Haarlem, The Netherlands @ Patronaat Café
• 11/22 Castricum, The Netherlands @ De Bakkerij
• 11/23 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Zaal 100
• 11/27 Ghent, Belgium @ House Concert
• 11/28 Brussels, Belgium @ House Concert
• 12/03 Middelburg, The Netherlands @ Kaffee 't Hoff

» curtiseller.com

HCTF review of How to Make It in Hollywood.

Curtis Eller's American Circus: on tour in the UK and Ireland

photo: Alex Maness

Neo-vaudeville folk outfit Curtis Eller's American Circus head out to the UK and Ireland to tell stories of despair and hope.

Live dates:

• 06/17 London, UK @ Old Queens Head
• 06/18 Cleethorpes, UK @ Kingsway Club
• 06/19 Sheffield, UK @ The Shakespeare
• 06/20 Beverley, UK @ Beverley Festival
• 06/21 Beverley, UK @ Beverley Festival
• 06/24 Preston, UK @ New Continental
• 06/27 Bristol, UK @ Stag & Hounds
• 06/28 Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
• 07/01 Aldershot, UK @ West End Centre
• 07/02 Hull, UK @ New Adelphi
• 07/03 Suffolk Coastal, UK @ Maverick Festival
• 07/04 Manchester, UK @ Ruby Lounge
• 07/05 Presteign, UK @ Le Weekend
• 07/07 Birmingham, UK @ Kitchen Garden Cafe
• 07/08 Bath, UK @ Bell Inn
• 07/14 Norwich, UK @ Bicycle Shop
• 07/15 Burley In Wharfedale, UK @ Otley Courthouse
• 07/16 Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall
• 07/17 Tolpuddle, UK @ Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival
• 07/18 Salisbury, UK @ Larmer Tree Festival
• 07/18 Trowbridge, UK @ Once Upon a Time in the West Festival
• 07/19 Worcester, UK @ Upton Blues Festival
• 07/23 Coventry, UK @ The Tin
• 07/24 Cardiff, UK @ The Yard
• 07/25 Greenfield, UK @ Friezland Church Hall
• 07/26 Topcliffe, UK @ Deer Shed 2015
• 08/01 Northampton, UK @ Private Event
• 08/02 Innerleithen, UK @ Traquair Fair
• 08/04 Harrogate, UK @ Blues Bar
• 08/05 Cork, Ireland @ Crane lane theatre
• 08/06 Navan, Ireland @ Boyles of Slane
• 08/07 Londonderry, UK @ Sandino's
• 08/08 Bangor, UK @ Open House Festival
• 08/12 York, UK @ The Fleeting Arms
• 08/14 Winchester, UK @ Boomtown Fair
• 08/16 Brighton, UK @ The Greys

» curtiseller.com

HCTF review of How to Make It in Hollywood.