Co-produced by theater directors Jerome Deschamps and Macha Makeieff,
Gee Whiz But This Is a Lonesome Town is the first album from French-American collective
Moriarty. Named after the central character in
Jack Kerouac's On the Road,
Moriarty's their 2007 LP, released 12 years after they originally formed, combines traditional rock & roll, Irish folk, and country-blues with unorthodox sounds from the likes of typewriters, hotel bells, and washboards. Influenced by
Jimi Hendrix,
Bob Dylan, and
Johnny Cash, the inventive debut includes the single "Jimmy" and "Private Lily." ~ Jon O'Brien