I’m excited to introduce you to a deluxe release from Victor V. Gurbo, a Brooklyn-based roots revivalist musician who has captivated audiences at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and has been voted Brooklyn Borough Champion at WNYC & WQXR's Battle of the Boroughs.
His current project, “Outrun the Invisible Man” is a collection of twelve home recordings created during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring six original songs and six carefully curated covers by Victor V. Gurbo and his multi-instrumentalist collaborator Mark Caserta.
This album is currently available on Spotify, Apple Music, and all major streaming platforms. This re-release on vinyl and compact disc, which includes two additional songs, will be available on October 14th, 2025. For your convenience, the tracks will be available to download at www.VictorVGurbo.com/InvisibleMan
About Victor V. Gurbo:
Victor V. Gurbo is a musician and songwriter known for his evocative storytelling and deep-rooted folk influences. Blending Americana with poetic lyricism, Gurbo’s music explores themes of love and loss, capturing the essence of a bygone era. BAM described his sound as “a raw, bluesy, foot-stomping sound that’s both classic and contemporary.”
About Victor V. Gurbo and Mark Caserta’s Home Recording Series:
Victor and Mark met in 2017 through Craigslist, initially for the purpose of trading guitars. Their musical collaboration began when they reconnected virtually during the COVID-19 lockdown in March of 2020. With their respective projects on hold, they started exchanging iPhone recordings: Victor would record a track, Mark would add to it, and they’d continue this back-and-forth until a finished song emerged. Over time, they recorded more than one hundred songs.
The recordings were made using whatever equipment was available, including antique radios converted into amplifiers, hand-made guitars by Victor, and household items like a bicycle bell or old Christmas ornaments for unique sound effects. Mark Caserta meticulously mixed and mastered all the tracks.
As pandemic restrictions lifted, Victor and Mark began performing live outdoor shows in Brooklyn. Mark later joined Victor’s electric ensemble, “Victor V. Gurbo & Co.,” for their debut performance at Carnegie Hall and a subsequent tour in Austin, Texas. In 2023, the duo revisited their home recording project for WNYC’s Public Song Project, submitting a cover of Irving Berlin’s “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody,” which aired on Paul Cavalconte’s New Standards. This experience inspired them to revisit their body of work and produce this album.
About “Outrun the Invisible Man”:
The songs on “Outrun the Invisible Man” explore themes of nostalgia, love, loss, and isolation. While these emotions were inspired by the pandemic experience, they are universal and timeless—qualities that the music aims to embody. To reflect the album’s genre and essence, Victor and Mark chose to release this collection on two limited run of vinyl and one limited run of compact discs for your enjoyment. This is the second and deluxe printing of this project, which includes two cover songs (“Mr. Blue” and “I’m So Tired”) that were not included on the original production. Each vinyl features the edition number penned on the protective polyurethane slipcase, and each compact disc is numbered.
Thoughts on the album:
“…I Missed You All The Same [from Outrun the Invisible Man] makes old feel new, wrapping folk, country, bluegrass, blues, and Americana into one (from Mississippi John Hurt to Jimmie Rodgers to Hank Williams Sr. to Billy Bragg). Meanwhile heartfelt, flavorful covers of 1919 Irving Berlin, rockabilly Warren Smith, Brecht/Weil, The Fleetwood’ 1959 #1 Mr. Blue do nothing to spoil this personable party. Like Ghost Woman Blues, Gurbo will haunt you.”
- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover Magazine
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“[Outrun the Invisible Man] is a nice collection of songs. There are some standards covered on the album, and then songs like [I Missed You All The Same] but were written by Victor—and that’s even cooler, when you can’t tell the difference between the classics and the new classics”
- Phil Maq, WHFR Radio
"Victor V. Gurbo is one of the last of the old guard—for better or for worse. In an age of streaming and Auto-Tune, this artist is releasing real music. These home recordings are wrought with emotion, marked with imperfections that remind us this is real art—not AI-generated, or so sanitized that the soul has been scrubbed straight out. They sound like physical objects. This is music, with a capital M. The songs feel like they’re from somewhere out of time—simultaneously old and new. You think they’re standards, and then they trick you. Is that a skill still appreciated? Is there room for artists like Gurbo in the age of clickbait? Time will tell, but he’s certainly someone to keep an eye on."
- Soundpost Magazine UK
"Gurbo is presented to us as a folk musician, but he's more than that. He is also a fine interpreter of quality pop songs. If you're in the mood, Outrun the Invisible Man is an album to love during some quiet time."
- Bloggerythms
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"In an age obsessed with polish and perfection, Victor V. Gurbo’s Outrun the Invisible Man stands as a rare treasure: imperfect, handmade, and deeply alive. It’s a record that documents a strange moment in history and transcends it. Through creaky microphones and crackling vinyl, Gurbo and Caserta have built a world where nostalgia and innovation coexist, where sorrow turns to song, and where even the quietest voices can echo endlessly. This is an album you listen to and live with. And long after the invisible man has faded, its music will keep running — timeless, human, and full of heart."
- Hit Harmony Haven
"In the current state of a digitally overdosed world, Victor V. Gurbo offers something beautifully human: music that encourages listeners to slow down, consider, and feel. “Outrun the Invisible Man (Deluxe Edition) is an album, yes, but also a beautifully preserved moment in history conveyed through both artistry and soul and through the vibrant spirit of Brooklyn folk music."
- Teeth Sounds