Cursive

  • Omaha, NE
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 1995
    started
  • Bio
    full story
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About Cursive


As early as 1995, the original members of Cursive -- Tim Kasher on guitar and vocals, Clint Schnase on drums, Matt Maginn on bass, and Stephen Pederson on guitar -- began work on their newly christened project, experimenting with elements of indie rock and eclectic post-hardcore to fashion a unique sound. The Omaha, Nebraska-based four-piece came out of existing friendships and some of the members' previous work together in Slowdown Virginia, making the musical partnership a logical idea from the start. They debuted with the "Disruption" 7" on the local friend-run label Saddle Creek and shortly released a second 7", "Sucker and Dry," on New York-based Zero Hour. Both recordings spotlighted Kasher's uniquely powerful voice along with the group's consistently thundering rhythm section and jagged guitars. Cursive went even further on their debut full-length, Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. Split-released by Crank! A Record Company and New York's Interplanetary Truckers Union in 1997, the LP received high acclaim and put the band on the musical map.

Over the next year, Cursive released both a split 10" with Austin's Silver Scooter (also on Crank!) and yet another 7" entitled "Disruption." The latter record began the band's extensive future with Saddle Creek, and in November of 1998, the label released the group's second full-length, The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song. The LP saw the band's first real attempt at incorporating linked lyrical concepts, as Kasher's lyrics told the tale of a man's complete breakdown over the aggressive song structures. Unfortunately for their growing fan base, the record didn't even yield a tour and instead saw the members disband to work on other projects, with no mention of a reunion at some later date.

After the temporary split, the members of Cursive explored a number of different outlets (including Commander Venus and Bright Eyes). After one failed marriage and some real introspection, however, the group decided to give things another shot, a fortunate conclusion that in June of 2000 resulted in the realization of Domestica. Full of fractured rhythms and lyrical examinations of a couple's crumbling relationship, the album spun a story that carried an odd familiarity to the real life experiences of Kasher. Domestica also introduced a new Cursive member, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Ted Stevens, formerly of Lullaby for the Working Class. (Pederson bowed out of the group to continue his education at Duke University; he later formed White Octave.)

Novena on a Nocturn, the debut of Kasher's solo project, the Good Life, was released in 2001. Also notable was the release of another Cursive EP, Burst and Bloom, which added cellist Gretta Cohn to the band's lineup. Meanwhile, Cursive were featured on the first 7" in Makato Recordings' year-long monthly 7" series, and the quintet returned in 2003 with The Ugly Organ. Their most ambitious album to date, The Ugly Organ was hailed for its challenging songwriting, obtuse conceptual scope, and serious lyrical turns. As the band readied a worthy follow-up album, Saddle Creek issued Difference Between Houses and Homes in August 2005, assembling Cursive's out of print 7"s (including two unreleased songs) into a stopgap compilation. Happy Hollow ultimately arrived in 2006, marking the departure of Cohn but also the inclusion of a brass section, which the band utilized to explore religious contradictions within the context of a fictional Western town. The following year, founding drummer Clint Schnase left Cursive on good terms and was replaced by touring drummer Cornbread Compton, and the band continued onward with its revised lineup, ringing in 2009 with the release of Mama, I'm Swollen. In 2012, they aimed for a heavy sound, choosing to work with Mastodon and Isis producer Matt Bayles on I Am Gemini, a concept album about two twins separated at birth. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, Rovi

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Music

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  • Big Bang
    cursive
    Video
    Big Bang
  • Dorothy at Forty
    cursive
    Video
    Dorothy at Forty
  • The Recluse
    cursive
    Video
    The Recluse
  • 30773
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    • The Recluse
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/9/8/0/4/257340899.mp3
    • Some Red Handed Sleight Of Hand
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/9/3/5/3/257335394.mp3
    • A Gentleman Caller
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/5/0/6/0/257306051.mp3
    • Art Is Hard
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/0/2/6/0/257306204.mp3
    • Driftwood: A Fairy Tale
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/8/6/5/3/257335682.mp3
    • The Martyr
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/7/7/7/6/172367770.mp3

Photos

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  • Cursive
    Courtesy of Saddle Creek
  • Cursive

News

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  • Cursive
    Man Man Announce Spring Tours With Gogol Bordello and Cursive
    www.pitchfork.com
    thing is for certain: I do not envy whoever has to clean up those venues afterward. This spring, Man Man will play a few shows with Gogol Bordello, bu...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    News in Brief: Cursive, Abbey Road, Tim Rutili, Teenage Cancer Trust
    www.pitchfork.com
    -- On March 9, Saddle Creek will release "Discovering America", a new stand-alone single from Omaha lifers Cursive. All profits from its sales will go...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    New Cursive Record Mama, I'm Swollen Price Increases a Dollar a Day, Now at $2
    prefixmag.com
    Ever since Radiohead offered In Rainbows to fans at a price of "whatever you want to pay," it seems that zany pricing schemes for albums have been get...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    Cursive: 'The Sun And Moon' | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Veteran indie rockers Cursive are gearing up to release their seventh studio album on Feb. 21, which is titled I Am Gemini. To preview the album...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    Cursive: 'Wowowow' | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    Tweet Emotional rockers Cursive return this month with a brand new album: It's called I Am Gemini, and instead of being about a divorce (like a past C...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    Listen to Cursive's New Album, I Am Gemini
    Paste
    Cursive's new album, I Am Gemini is available to stream over at Rolling Stone. The album is the band's seventh and a follow-up to 2009's Mama, I'm Swo...
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  • Cursive
    Short Takes: Cursive, Amy Ray, The Honeydogs And More
    American Songwriter
    Cursive I Am Gemini (Saddle Creek) Rating: Call it an indie rock opera or, if that's too dated, a movie for the ears, but Cursive frontman Tim Kasher ...
    Read More
  • Cursive
    Cursive Announces Burst and Bloom Record Store Day Reissue
    Paste
    Cursive is set to reissue its 2001 EP, Burst and Bloom, on Record Store Day (April 21) through Saddle Creek Records. The five-track collection will be...
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  • Cursive
    Cursive - "Drunken Birds" Video
    stereogum.com
    Here's Cursive's strange clip for Cursive's "Drunken Birds," in which an actor and a wannabe actor engage in an odd, psychological play. Tony Bonacci ...
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  • Cursive
    Stream Sets From Titus Andronicus, Cursive, And Love As Laughter T | Prefix
    www.prefixmag.com
    their show at the House of Vans in Brooklyn tonight. Tonight's show and an appearence at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest are the band's only scheduled shows...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • Jun 21 Friday
    Minneapolis, MN, US 7th Street Entry
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 23 Sunday
    Omaha, NE, US The Waiting Room
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  • Jun 24 Monday
    Kansas City, MO, US The Record Bar
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Discography

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  • I Am Gemini (2012)
    Cursive
    I Am Gemini (2012)
  • Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)
    Cursive
    Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • Bad Sects (2007)
    Cursive
    Bad Sects (2007)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • Happy Hollow (2006)
    Cursive
    Happy Hollow (2006)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • The Ugly Organ (2003)
    Cursive
    The Ugly Organ (2003)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • Eight Teeth to Eat You (2002)
    Cursive
    Eight Teeth to Eat You (2002)
    Better Looking Records
  • Domestica (2000)
    Cursive
    Domestica (2000)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song (1998)
    Cursive
    The Storms of Early Summer: Semantics of Song (1998)
    Saddle Creek Records
  • Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997)
    Cursive
    Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes (1997)
    Crank! A Record Company
  • Record Store Day Split
    Cursive
    Record Store Day Split
    Saddle Creek Records
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