Curtis Eller's American Circus

Curtis Eller’s American Circus

Curtis Eller’s American Circus is a United States group centred on Curtis Eller. The project is based in New York City and also uses the name of Eller’s band for his work as a banjo-playing singer-songwriter. Eller is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and his background includes time spent in North Carolina, where he works as musical director for a local theatre troupe before moving to New York to focus on music.

Style and themes

The music combines alt-country, americana, folk, gothic americana, folk-rock, and elements of folk-country-punk-blues. Eller’s songs often have a dark, old-time character, with the banjo used in a moody and haunting way rather than in a bright bluegrass style. His writing draws on the sounds and imagery of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, while also carrying rock energy and attitude.

His influences include Jimmie Rodgers, Gene Autry, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Son House, Pete Seeger, and Iggy Pop. He is also strongly interested in storytelling, and his work is known for narrative songs.

Writing and subject matter

Eller writes about American history and unusual or tragic events. His subjects include the American Civil War, silent film star Buster Keaton, aviatrix Amelia Earhart, a mining disaster in the song “Alaska”, and the 1929 circus-elephant incident behind “The Execution of Black Diamond”. He also writes about the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944, which he treats as an important reference point in his work. Circus imagery is a recurring concern, reflecting his interest in performance, history, and tragedy.

Releases

His debut album is 1890, released in 2000. This is followed by the three-song EP Banjo Music for Funerals in 2002, then the full-length album Taking Up Serpents Again in 2004. His third album, Wirewalkers & Assassins, follows in 2008 and continues the darker, fuller direction of his earlier material.

Band identity

The name Curtis Eller’s American Circus reflects Eller’s long-standing fascination with circuses. He studied juggling as a child and uses circus imagery as part of the group’s identity.