CHARMING DISASTER
Brooklyn-based musical duo Charming Disaster was formed in 2012 by Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris. Inspired by the gothic humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret, they write songs that tell stories, using two voices to explore dark narratives and characters with a playfully macabre sensibility.
In their interactive Musical Oracle show, songs are selected by chance by audience members who draw cards from the Charming Disaster Oracle Deck—a Tarot-style divination that straddles the line between concert and theatre.
Charming Disaster has released seven critically acclaimed albums: Love, Crime & Other Trouble (2015), Cautionary Tales (2017), SPELLS + RITUALS (2019), Our Lady of Radium (2022), Super Natural History (2023), singles collection Time Ghost (2024), and The Double (2025). In their songs, the duo have explored love, death, crime, folklore, mythology, magic, science, and the occult. Their theatrical live performances combine vocal harmonies and clever lyrics with ukulele, guitar, and virtuosic foot percussion, drawing listeners into a spooky, offbeat universe of paranormal romance, con artists, circus performers, ancient mythology, nightclubs, car chases, the afterlife, and beyond.
Charming Disaster’s music has been featured on the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, they have opened for legendary cello-rock ensemble Rasputina, goth icon Voltaire, and punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, and their theatrical, entertaining live performances have captivated audiences across the United States and Europe. They have played festivals, bars and clubs, museums and art galleries, bookstores and libraries, and the occasional historic cemetery. They have appeared alongside storytellers, comedians, fire eaters, puppets, burlesque artists, poets, and circus performers. Recent appearances include the Meadowlark Festival, the Rochester Fringe Festival, Dragon Con, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater in NYC, Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, Philadelphia’s Science History Institute, the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, VA, Cleveland’s Wizbang Theatre, and the Coney Island Sideshow stage.
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