The Wailin’ Elroys are a juke joint hillbilly band playing out of Athens, Ohio USA that feels as comfortable in the confines of a smoke-filled punk rock dive bar as a country music dance hall. The Elroys draw on the influence of the Ramones and Dwight Yoakam as much as Hank Williams or Chuck Berry while still keeping to a traditional honky-tonk format. Formed in 2002, the Elroys’ consist of Bram Riddlebarger on vocals and flat top guitar, Justin Rayner on doghouse bass fiddle, “Preacher” Zeb Dewar on take-off lead guitar, non-pedal steel guitar whiz Johnny Borchard and Willie Perkins on fiddle.
Tracks from the Elroys full-length debut album “Cheap Motel” (featuring the original trio and the usual touring band of Riddlebarger, Rayner, and Dewar) have received airplay in the United States, Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe, and the record reached #21 on the Freeform American Roots Chart for January 2004 and #22 on the Euro Americana Charts for February 2004.
The Elroys signed to Rhythm Bomb Records (Germany) in February 2004. “Cheap Motel” was re-released and internationally distributed by Rhythm Bomb in June of 2004. The Elroys toured Europe in March and April of 2005, playing eight dates spanning from Amsterdam to Berlin and recording one session at the Lightning Recording Service Studio in Berlin.
The Elroys have been featured in numerous zines both in the US and Europe including Rock N Roll Purgatory (Issue #13) and were recently included on a compilation jointly released by Rhythm Bomb Records and El Toro Records (“Perfect For Parties”). The Elroys are also a featured band on the January 2005 online compilation by the Aquabear Legion (www.aquabearlegion.com). Songs from “Cheap Motel” also appear on the soundtrack for the Smokin’ Shutdown #8 “Heroes, Art, Hot Rods, Kustom Kulture & Rock n Roll” DVD.
A split 7” vinyl will also be released in April 2005 on the RockNRoll Purgatory label that will feature two songs each from the Elroys and legendary one-man punk/country blues band Ghostwriter, from Austin, Texas.
The Elorys are currently planning a follow up to “Cheap Motel”, for which tracks were recorded in December 2004, tentatively to be released in the summer of 2005.
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