Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls

Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls (UK) are a band like no other and will be bringing their Voodoo Vaudeville Blues on tour to the UK and Europe in 2023. The music takes influence from early vaudeville blues acts such as Victoria Spivey via Cab Calloway, Wilmoth 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.

They've got stories of deals with the devil, demons in love, witchdoctors, ghosts, ghouls, journeys to the deepest jungles and other exotic adventures that are all told using sweet melodies and syncopated sounds. The whole show is led by voodoo queen of England Jo Carley as she takes the audience on a journey to Voodoo Island, telling tales of the strange happenings and even stranger characters. 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’ (Released 14th November 2022) 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 inch 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 Black Magic was 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.

​With the release of the bands fourth album ‘I’ll Put My Voodoo On You’, another chapter is here. Having escaped the witchdoctor she is now the ruler of all life on the island. You would think that being a powerful Voodoo Queen, life would be fine and dandy right? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Amongst the chaos and the fun, there always seems to be something dark and evil lurking in the shadows...

​If she offers you a little dose of her medicine, be careful what you wish for as a summoned devil can take on many an innocent shape. She sees your future, she sees your past, she tells you if you come to harm. But watch out! It’s not all unavoidable ill misfortune, sometimes you just gotta roll with it and let your hair down.

​She leaves a lasting message for the great undead, you ain't gonna change the land unless you come out from under the sand...

‘I’ll Put My Voodoo On You’, eleven tales of terror, love and destiny from the creepy and magical weird world of Jo Carley and the Old Dry Skulls.

Jo Carley and The Old Dry Skulls combine the voodoo sounds and syncopated rhythms of the blues, but uniquely delivered with an old timey vaudeville twist. It’s music that makes people wanna come down and shake their bones!