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