The Wiyos are renowned as one of the most versatile and original bands on the rootsy Americana circuit, praised my many of the masters and appreciated by legendary BBC presenter, Bob Harris for their “great music”.

They draw their inspiration from classic acts such as The Hoosier Hotshots, Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies, Fats Waller, Spike Jones, Willie McTell, Gus Cannon & The Jug Stompers and The Mississippi Sheiks.

On the other side of the Atlantic this Brooklyn-based combo, named after an old neighbourhood street gang, has become one of the hardest working and farthest-travelled on the circuit, thrilling audiences with their infectious 21st Century brand of goodtime whoopee.

Their 2006-issued Hat Trick album was the first to blow us away with its early swing syncopations, rural blues grit, jug band/ragtime shimmy and bouncing rhythms of the Piedmont fingerpickers.

The ‘live’ performance is something to behold, with lashings of whiz-bang on top, as Seth Travins’ tasty bass drives resophonic, Hawaiian and lap steel, acoustic guitars, harmonica, washboard, an occasional flash of brass and much much more.

Michael Farkas, Teddy Weber and Parrish Ellis write material so great that the latest album, Broken Land Bell shot to the Number 16 slot in the US Americana Top 40, was described as “fabulous” by Bob Harris and went straight to the Number 6 slot on the Euro Americana Chart.

In 2009, the band was invited to be the opening act on the Big Summer Tour when Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp hit the road to take in 27 baseball parks across the USA.

In 2010 they wowed the UK with a headline show at Celtic Connections, were filmed as one of the festival’s highlights for BBC 2 TV, went on to play to capacity crowds in London, Nottingham and Barton on Humber, and were added to the Shetland Folk Festival line-up as ‘the icing on the cake’.

If you are still to be Wiyoed, as Seasick Steve says: “You’re in for a surprise.”