Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls (UK)

JO CARLEY AND THE OLD DRY SKULLS (UK)
European bookings – new album released November 14, 2022.

Click album artwork for more info.

Review Bluestownmusic.nl
Review Rootstime.be
Revier Keysandchords.com

“… This band is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill blues outfit. It’s off-the-wall blues, honkytonk, and boogie with a pinch of country all mixed up like gumbo… I suggest you sit down with a drink and let Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls take you somewhere you would never dream of going…” Stephen Harrison / Blues Matters Magazine
“Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls were a joy to behold. Rooted firmly in a bygone era when Voodoo and Black Magic were rife, the audience were all spellbound by the performance and its originality” Adrian Blacklee – Blues Matters Magazine (UK)
BOOK JO CARLEY AND THE OLD DRY SKULLS

Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls are known for their unique live show, transporting the audience to a bygone era when witches and black magic were rife. Their songs tell stories of deals with the devil, demons in love, witchdoctors, zombies, ghosts, ghouls, journeys to the deepest jungles and other exotic adventures which are told using sweet melodies and syncopated sounds. The music takes influence from early vaudeville blues acts such as Victoria Spivey, via Cab Calloway, Wilmouth Houdini and Wanda Jackson, but adding a creepy and theatrical twist that echoes Dr John and Screamin Jay Hawkins, all with an upbeat dose of old timey rock n roll, skiffle, calypso and a 1930's vibe.

Music that makes people wanna come down and shake their bones!

Jo Carley - Vocals, Washboard, Mandolin and Percussion

Tim Carley - Battered Archtop Guitar, Kick and Rattlin' Shoe

James Le Huray (Aka Big Jim Hairy Bones) - Beat-up Double Bass and Banjo

For fans of Blues, Skiffle, Calypso and Rockabilly with a creepy vaudeville twist.

Tourdates 2023 - more to be announced soon!
Tickets: https://www.olddryskulls.com/tour-dates

24/03/2023 Broken Necks festival - Belgium -  Arlon
25/03/2023 Deux Ours - Belgium - Modave 
26/03/2023 De Mooie Molen -  Belgium -  Roeselare
27/03/2023 De Floeren Aap - Belgium - Mechelen
28/03/2022 Missy Sippy -  Belgium -  Gent
8-9/04/2023 HRH BLUES VII festival - O2 Academie - UK - Sheffield 
19/04/2023 Kofferfabrik - Germany - Fürth
20/04/2023 Subrosa - Germany - Dortmund
21/04/2022 't Moment - Belgium - Meise
22/04/2023 De Afzakkerij / Noordkade - Belgium - Veghel
23/04/2023 TEXtival - Belgium - Kortrijk
25/04/2023 Kulturbrücken Jungbusch - Germany - Mannheim
26/04/2023 Heile Welt - Germany -  Münster
27/04/2023 Happy Billard, Club am Donnerstag - Germany - Hamburg
28/04/2023 Pentagon - Germany - Leverküsen
29/04/2023 Muziekcentrum Dranouter Belgium - Heuvelland
30/04/2023 Gasthuisschuur - Belgium - Aarschot

14/09/2023 BluesClubChiemgau - Germany - Chiemsee 
15/09/2023 City Club - Germany - Augsburg
16/09/2023 Alexander The Great - Germany -  Mainz
17/09/2023 Bahnhof - Germany - Bad Kötzting
22/09/2023 Wild at Heart - Germany - Berlin
23/09/2023 Extra Blues bar - Germany - Bielefeld

25/11/2023 La Rhue - France - Jumilhac-le-Grand
02/12/2023 Nasty Boys Saloon - Italy - Treviso
12/12/2023 Gotthard Bar - Switzerland - Zürich 

Tourdates 2024

20/03/2024 Kofferfabrik - Germany - Fürth
22/03/2024 Real Towncats @ Pentagon - Germany - Leverkusen
23/03/2024 Rolmo's Roots Rock - Belgium - Zonhoven

Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls combine the voodoo sounds of  the blues with old-timey vaudeville cabaret. Music that makes people wanna shake their bones!

Dedicated to the subversive, the world of Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls is dark, animated and unusual. Seeking to amuse and draw the audience into an underworld filled with wonder, the macabre and the imagination they combine elements of Vaudeville, Skiffle, early horror films, early ska, calypso, old-timey country, and the Blues. This trio play a unique hybrid of early 20th Century music infused with dark Cabaret.

Voodoo has found it’s way onto British shores and Jo Carley is the voodoo queen sent to predict hell in a way to entertain and amaze you. This demonic music-hall mistress tells tales of terror in old-timey fashion. Backed by her song-writing partner and husband Tim Carley, a man of considerable size who plays “syncopated rhythms to shake your soul” on a beaten up archtop guitar, kick drum and rattlin’ shoe, with fellow fiend James Le Huray providing the final ingredients of the spell, in the shape of double bass and banjo.

‘I’ll Put My Voodoo On You’ is the bands fourth album and was recorded in their Voodoo Shack, down by the beach on the East Coast of England during the darkest days and longest nights of early 2022. These recordings were mixed and mastered to ¼ tape with Ed Deegan at Gizzard Recordings in London in the spring and summer of 2022. Their analogue and primitive way of recording totally captures the bands unique sound. Rooted firmly in a bygone era when Voodoo and Black Magic were rife, it has all the vibe, sounds and character of the old Blues, Old-timey Country, Skiffle, Calypso and Rock n Roll records that inspired them to make this album.

Jo Carley – Vocals, Backing Vocals, Washboard, Mandolin and Percussion

Tim Carley – Battered Archtop Guitar, Kick, Rattlin’ Shoe, Backing Vocals and Percussion

James Le Huray (Aka Big Jim Hairy Bones) – Beat-up Double Bass, Banjo, Backing Vocals and Percussion

Het Britse trio Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls doet op haar vierde album verwoede pogingen om je via hun Voodoo in hun macht te krijgen. En het moet gezegd worden, hun bezwering werkt wonderwel! Vanaf de eerste track krijgen Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls je op een swingende wijze in hun macht! – Bluestown Music – NL
Live Review The Great British Rock and Blues Festival 2022 (Blues Matters!)
“… On ‘Voodoo Bones & Vaudeville Blues’, Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls do what they do very well. They continue to brew their unique concoction of voodoo and vaudeville and skilfully season it with some blues, rock and other fine spices that taste for more after dark…“ (ESC for Rootstime.be)
“…a steaming broth of cabaret, blues, ska, Vaudeville, voodoo and skiffle. Horror stories are the main course, with a side orders of sex, trouble, and all-night parties” – Hans Werksman – Here Comes The Flood
“…riffs and rhythms, stomp and tap, crazy woman on vocals you find yourself waiting for her to cast a spell on you” – Alan Pearce – Blues Matters Magazine
“…a macabre fairytale, …Naughty creepy, full of sarcasm, this album predicts a wonderful performance when the band also visits Belgium during their tour in 2021, “So let’s shake those bones together”!” – Luminous Dash (Belgium)
“9/10 …invigorating macabre blues to keep you warm this winter” – Viola Noir (Russia)
“…Het was een avond vol zombies, ratelende botten en wil je wat gedaan hebben, dan kun je Jo Carley even aanspreken, maar deze voodoopriesteres vraagt wel een hoge prijs. Het werd een heerlijke bezwerende show waar lustig met magische liedjes werd gestrooid.
Het zijn liedjes die een heerlijke retro feel hebben, de spanning erin houden, maar ook nu en dan een flinke lach op gelaat toveren. Prachtig zijn ‘Shake Them Rattlin’ Bones’ en na het creepy ‘Wolves’ met sterk banjo spel van James Le Huray en het oudere succesnummer ‘Dance ‘Til You’re Dead’. Dat gebeurde gelukkig niet, maar een bijzonder goed, sfeervol en fijn optreden van Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls leverde een juichende ovatie op en de hoop dat deze band toch gauw weer Noord-Nederland aandoet.” – thenextgig.nl
“…riffs and rhythms, stomp and tap, crazy woman on vocals you find yourself waiting for her to cast a spell on you” DR. EADNIGHT – Blues Matters Magazine
“A spooky slab of backwoods punk, mixed with medicine show huckster and old timey roots music. JCODS make deliciously devilish sounds. Something wicked coming this way. Highly recommended” – Folkcast
“That nailed it, good stuff. Left of field stomper. A wonderful fusion of trad, old timey, New Orleans Voodoo Queen ” – Mike Harding / Mike Harding Folk Show
“London Junkyard Punk or Punk-yard London Junk?? Multi genre, non specific, absolutely great. Its brilliant!” – Punky Radio
“Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls were a joy to behold. Rooted firmly in a bygone era when Voodoo and Black Magic were rife, the audience were all spellbound by the performance and its originality” Adrian Blacklee – Blues Matters Magazine (UK)
“… a creepy-mischievous touch. Sarcasm is no stranger to her. It seems as if she predicts hell in such a way that you have to laugh about it” – Cultuurpakt.be (Belgium)
“The rhythms are uplifting, Jo Carley’s voice remains mysterious with a mischievous twist. Nice deep bass rhythms, screeching strings and ominous, rattling percussion chase a person through the land of the living dead.” Cultuurpakt (Belgium)
“… a wonderfully enchanting show where magical songs were scattered.” – thenextgig.nl (Netherlands)
“… Een heerlijk album …. maar als je wel van een horrorverhaal houdt zou ik zeker naar het oude vaudeville theater gaan om dit verhaal te beluisteren.” – Bluestown Music (Netherlands)
“…a magic potion made up from early 20th century blues and old-time, post-war skiffle and rock’n’roll, Don’t be scared, notwithstanding these weird times it’s only
entertainment and we like it!” – Tom Keller / Folkworld (Germany)
“Tongue firmly-in-cheek they provide a full set of old school entertainment, a sideshow where vaudeville, blues and skiffle conspire to get their audiences to dance their asses off.” – Hans Werkman / Here Comes The Flood (NL)
“… they’ve conjured up some delicious spells in their cauldron of verse, complete with wing of bat and tongue of snake” – Graham Munn / Blues In Britain Magazine
“Don’t fight it, let your soul be taken by the voodoo and soothed by these irresistible bluesy rockabilly rhythms. Turn to the dark-side, even if its just for half an hour or so…” – Neil Hodge / Louderthanwar
“With great lyrics and the combination of haunting ragtime blues they create a stupendously enjoyable jaunt into the darker recesses of voodoo, … It’s superb fun and a real pleasure to just
“Folk instruments deployed with maximum attitude” 9/10 – Vive Le Rock Magazine (UK)
“…medicine show huckster and old timey roots music. JCODS make deliciously devilish sounds. Something wicked coming this way. Highly recommended” – Folkcast (UK)
“That nailed it, good stuff. Left of field stomper. A wonderful fusion of trad, old timey, New Orleans Voodoo Queen” – Mike Harding / Mike Harding Folk Show (UK)
“There are dark warnings, powerful accusations, gritty observations and singular attitude… this is a musical heist that robs you of ordinary and replaces it with exceptional” – Folkwords (UK)
“Let’s be honest. In this dark age, Jo Carley gives us positive energy with The Old Dry Skulls. Vintage music poured with a modern sauce. Perfect for a good feeling and a must in every club, any festival” – Keys and Chords Magazine (Belgium)
“Being scared has never been so much fun. Eyes closed, lights out, music on. Then tremble and shake and then laugh.” – Cultuurpakt (Belgium)
“…you will soon be dancing to the dead beat. An excellent album to keep you awake at night” – Shirl / Blues Matters Magazine