Eldorado and the Ruckus

Memphis-based Eldorado Del Rey was the singer/guitarist for the ulta-raw, bluesy punk outfit known as the Porch Ghouls. Signed as the first act to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry's fledgling label Roman Records via Columbia, they released their debut album Bluff City Ruckus in 2003. Upon returning from tour with Aerosmith and Kiss (an unlikely trek they managed to pull off with flying colors), the Porch Ghouls parted ways. Not content to sit idle, Del Rey formed Eldorado and the Ruckus.

The first release, ?Planet of the Vampires II,? (Bigfoot Records) found the singer/guitarist backed by the like-minded Alabama duo The Immortal Lee County Killers. Del Rey whose day job is working at sun studio, where the disc was recorded, has steeped his songwriting in the kind of blues recorded there by Sam Phillips in the 50's. On ?Vampires? he takes it to it's sonic maximum.

The addition of drum machines and new wave-inspired keyboards have expanded the blues-rock swagger of the Ruckus. The latest release, ?Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?? (Bigfoot Records) is ostensibly a science-fiction blue-rock opera based, at least partially, on the works of the late Phillip K. Dick. The fantastic gives the Ruckus a context in which to play around with familiar styles. At times the sound recalls Talking Heads or the Cure, but without ever losing the basic beat. Eldorado manages to update the sound of the blues while remaining true to the feeling behind them.

Their song 'Mr Oblivion' was featured in the film Black Snake Moan.