"Marlo Mortensen is one of the most versatile Americana-rooted performers that the
Front Range has to offer. He is quite the consummate roots music musician. His latest
aggregation, Marlo and Snake Oil, implies that there's a sneaky, sinister salesman
hawking worthless elixirs and potions around the corner, but in reality, nothing
could be further from the truth. Instead, the Snake Oil analogy fits in nicely here
given the band's potent blend of Americana, country, western swing, pop standards,
folk and TexMex, not to mention its favorite concoction of Farm Jazz, the intersection
of country and jazz beyond its traditional western swing paradigm. Though audiences
are sure to recognize a familiar cover, at the same time, Marlo and Snake Oil are
not to be pigeonholed strictly as a cover band. Marlo's other identity is in being
a steady songsmith, with originals such as "Colorado Swing," "The Clock Ticks" and
"Cajun Queen" finding homes in the hearts of others. "
- Dan Willging (DJ), KGNU Radio (Mar 28, 2011)
