Jake Xerxes Fussell is a singer, guitarist, and composer based in
Durham, NC. His intuitive creative process often draws from
traditional music and archival field recordings -
incorporating elements of songs from the past into new work. He is,
according toAnn Powers of NPR, "maybe the leading interpreter of
American folk music right now..." Fussell’s most recent album When
I’m Calledwas released to critical acclaim by Fat Possum Records in
the summer of 2024. The album was produced by James Elkington and
features Blake Mills (guitars), Ben Whiteley (bass), and Joe
Westerlund (drums), along with additional vocals from Joan Shelley
and Robin Holcomb. Fussell and Elkington also wrote and recorded the
music for Rebuilding, a new feature film directed by Max
Walker-Silverman that is set to premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film
Festival. “Fussell’s music often comes with complex citations; he
is a folksinger in the truest sense, collecting ideas and melodies
and lyrics from distant and disparate traditions, looking for
the things that unite us in our humanity.” -The New Yorker“
(Fussell) is one of the great magpies of American song, collecting
forgotten, tarnished gems with a folklorist’s zeal... his
renditions aren’t so much cover versions as
composites...” –The Guardian
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10/07/2025 Last update