Curse and the Cure

Since it’s the holiday season and most of us are in that “let’s just indulge” state of mind, now is a good time to introduce you to Curse and the Cure, a country-meets-pop, harmony-infused duo from Southeast Texas fronted by Norma Hopson and Jason Touchette of B-list and Podunk fame. If you want to hear two voices combine and create the wings of baby angels, hop over to iTunes and check out their new EP Carnival or watch their YouTube video for “Same as Me.”

Sure, the baby angels may rock a little harder than most, forgoing their trumpets for an acoustic guitar, and they might sport bright, reddish-pink hair, but you get the picture.

Confession No. 297: When I was in high school, I not only relentlessly played Podunk’s “Dashboard Mary” on repeat, but I remember that I would get fangirl creepy when Jason Touchette would rent movies where I worked. Full disclosure; I might have even kept a Movieland receipt with his signature once or twice. When I heard Curse and the Cure for the first time, I was glad to hear Touchette’s voice was still transporting.

With Norma’s beautiful harmonies added, it’s a musical pairing that goes together like scotch and ice: oh so smooth. I stole a few minutes with Norma and Jason and asked them to fill us in on all things Curse and the Cure coming up on the horizon. I’d tell you more, but Jason said I should go find my chi or try to become a unicorn, so I’m off.I stole a few minutes with Norma and Jason and asked them to fill us in on all things Curse and the Cure coming up on the horizon.

Q Vocally, you two are quite the powerhouse. In fact, I can’t think of another duo that is able to balance intricate melodies and harmonies with such booming and soulful vocals. Can you tell me a little bit about your songwriting dynamic?

Norma: Firstly, thank you so much for the huge compliment! Such a sweet thing coming from such an amazing talent as yourself! Whenever we write a new song, it’s very spontaneous and random. Our songwriting sessions usually start off with us sitting (sometimes lying) on the couches in J’s living room just jamming or practicing. J will start coming up with a new riff, check to see if we both dig it, and then we’ll start brainstorming ideas. Food is 99 percent of the time involved when we do this as well.

We love to tell stories, and we hope that people can find a piece of our songs that they can relate to or even the whole song. We just like to make people feel good!

Jason: About a year-and-a-half ago, we took a much needed trip to a monastery in Tibet where we learned many wonderful and fantastical things, not excluding the art of deep meditation. It was in that deep meditation that we found our chi. Upon our arrival back to the States, we learned to channel what we had learned in Tibet (to what we like to call a musical meditation). It was in that deep transient musical mediation that we were able to find the songs that are on our EP titled Carnival.

Q From what I’ve heard, your Carnival EP is killer. Can you tell us a little bit about What have you been working on and what we can expect to see and hear from you two in the near future?

Norma: We most definitely have been building our list of songs up. We have the writing for our second album complete and are working on putting a few finishing touches and tying some ends up. We have plans to travel back up to Austin to Rock Army Records to record again with our producer Paul Soroski after the first of the year, and I’m sure we’ll write a new song when we’re up there during the recording process. We’ve been given so many new opportunities in 2014, like being direct support for Pat Green at the Brazos Valley Country Music Festival this past October, and we have some exciting things to bring to the table coming in 2015. We’re very blessed and are so completely thankful.

Jason: We have lots of ideas for next year’s new Curse and the Cure record. We are going to drop our Tibetan philosophy in turn for a more conventional approach to our songwriting. We will soon be taking a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, in hopes for a more magical style of writing. We hope that the role play of being a witch and a wizard will give us the courage and wisdom that we will need to complete our efforts. Lumos Maximus!

Q Because I’m a social media junkie like everyone else, I watch your YouTube videos every time I see you cover something new. Your covers are often original takes of mainstream tunes. How do you choose what you are going to cover and how often do you guys make these videos? More please.

Norma: I listen to a lot of different genres on local radio stations as well as Internet radio. I like to keep current with what’s going on just to stay in the know. Me and J have very similar taste in music, and when we hear something we’d like to play, we usually listen to the original a few times, play with the melody, and then intertwine the harmonies to make it our own. A lot of the time, we’ll get a song requested that we’ve never heard and then end up loving it to the point where it’s something we absolutely have to cover. We’ve made a few YouTube videos but here recently we’ve been asked to do more, which is something we totally need to do, like yesterday. Thanks for the reminder, haha!

Jason: We write 10 current top 40 songs down on 2-foot by 2-foot pieces of cardboard. We randomly shuffle them. Jason juggles them high in the air while Norma shoots five of them down with her bow and arrow. We then take two of the remaining five and burn them. We take the remaining three, put them face down and shuffle them. Jason takes one out, and we sacrifice it to the music gods. Norma takes the remaining two to the top of Mount Everest and throws them both off. Jason waits at the bottom and whichever one hits the ground first is the one we pick. We generally like to make a new video every first, second, third and fourth week of every first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth month, except on leap year.

Q: As a musician myself, I really admire musicians who are able to play shows, write prolifically and manage to have families. You are both basically superheroes in my book. So, any advice for mere mortal musicians that want to know how to keep everyone smiling while maintaining a schedule like yours?

Norma: We have the most supportive families that musicians can ask for. In my case, my husband does all of our managing, promotion, booking, and pretty much everything but perform on a show night. He is always with me and doing everything he can to make sure everything goes according to plan. We have a 2 year old son and the late nights and early mornings can definitely be hard, but with the help of our mothers and my husband’s grandparents, our son gets to stay with our family that live on the same property. It’s like he never leaves home, and we are so privileged. Jason plays the role of Mr. Mom and has two daughters that are in school and involved greatly with church and extracurricular activities. With the help of his Mom and Dad that live conveniently on the street over, he is blessed just as we are to be able to perform sometimes 5-6 times a week.

Jason: Simply be a monk, a wizard, a witch, a unicorn, a centaur, a mermaid or merman. If you can be any one of those or a Jedi. Or Spider-Man.. Then you will have it made!

@Ashlynn_Ivy on Twitter & Instagram - Ashlynn Ivy

7. Curse and the Cure - Norma Hopson and Jason Touchette offer sexy harmony on 'Leave The Light On' and the gorgeous '3 AM' which was our favorite track on the self-titled EP. - LadyLake Music

If you haven’t heard, one of the hottest local acts in Southeast Texas is now beginning to turn heads. The dynamic duo of Norma Hopson and Jason Touchette make up the acoustic act Curse and the Cure, and the two will host a record release concert Satur­day, July 19, at The Gig in downtown Beaumont for the debut of a six-song EP titled, Carnival.

Touchette, who many remember as the frontman of the band Podunk, and Hopson, went to ATX to record the CD at Rock Army Records with Paul Soroski, who was also a main component of Podunk and has since turned music producer, among other neat things. Though the duo began singing covers, Car­nival will be all original music written by the two.

“We felt like we were both just ready to make an album together, so that we could share our original music with the world,” said Hopson. “We’ve waited a long time to create music together, and the sooner the better. We are writing new songs with every practice that we have with each oth­er, and we hope to eventu­ally play all original music within our set, but we will still play a handful of cov­ers if the fans still request them. Our passion is to cre­ate original material with Curse and the Cure, and we are working towards build­ing our list of songs we’ve written together.”

Hopson is no stranger to music. Her and husband Dustin have been a staple in the local music scene, and if a national act was in town, the two were there, either as fans or working lights, merch, etc. Hopson has wanted to sing alongside Touchette for more than eight years after seeing Podunk.

“Ever since I first ini­tially heard and watched him perform, I knew the second he opened his mouth that I had to sing with him,” she said. “Whether he is on stage melting faces with an electric guitar or alongside me soul singing — he is such an amazing artist. His name speaks volumes for itself. I mean, Google his name. Thankfully, we were able to make something happen and create a project that we could call our own. Never did I imagine that I would be so grateful to share a stage with this guy and, better yet, create origi­nal music with him. He is the most talented musician and vocalist I’ve ever heard on the planet Earth, and he makes me a better perform­er. He’s the other brother I never knew existed, and I can’t wait to see where this musical journey takes us.”

We took Hopson’s advice and “Googled” Jason Touchette, like we didn’t already know, and found nothing but cool things — “helluva singer,” “dude can wail.”

With all the good things Hopson had to say about Touchette, he echoed the same sentiment.

“Playing with Norma is awesome,” he said. “I’ve always heard rumors that there is someone out there that I could sing with that would be a perfect match, and it’s definitively Norma. First time I heard her sing, I knew we would have to cre­ate some music together. The sky is the limit with Norma, and there isn’t any­thing she can’t do. The bonus is she is a great per­son with a huge heart and an awesome personality. She completes me.”

Local bands come and go in Southeast Texas quicker than an afternoon thunderstorm, but there is something different here with these two, plus they have already attracted a strong, loyal fan base.

“We cannot thank every­one for the response to our music and support we have been given,” added Hop­son. “It’s so amazing that we can touch so many peo­ple with our music, and we’re so excited to release our album to our fans and hopefully gain some new ones along the way.”

Next step will be bring­ing their talents to other markets, such as Houston, Austin, but first, they will celebrate their debut record. Tickets are $12 for ages 21 years and up, $10 for ages 18-20. While you are there, pick up a copy of Carnival for $10.

To keep up with Curse and the Cure, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (curseandthecure).

And if the CD release party isn’t enough incentive to come out, Podunk will come together on this special evening in an intimate setting to play their memorable hits (we hope) like “Swan Dive,” “Blan­ket,” “Lemonade Stand,” “Boomerang” and the 1975-remake of Captain and Tenille’s “Love Will Keep Us Together.”

Opening the show will be local act Peace and the Chaos.

The Gig is at 240 Crock­ett St. in downtown Beau­mont TX. - By Chad Cooper, 7/16/2014 - 88MILESWEST

A new acoustic music duo will make its debut performance in Orange County this weekend.

Curse and the Cure, featuring Norma Hopson of Starks, La., and Jason Touchette of Groves, will perform a free concert for ages 21 and older starting at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, at The Capistrano, 1208 Green Ave. in Orange.

Hopson, a well-known photographer, is also a talented vocalist who performs as part of local cover band, The B-List. Touchette, also a member of The B-List as well as country music group, American Sons, is a well known musician across the area as the vocalist and guitarist for Podunk.

Curse and the Cure is not your typical music act, acoustic or otherwise, according to Normal Hopson.

“Curse and the Cure is a little different from other local acoustic acts due to the fact that there is normally just being a solo male artist with a guitar and vocals,” Hopson explained. “With the two of us together, being a male and female combination, we can achieve the most amazing harmonies and dynamic. We both have a really wild range, together and separately, and it’s almost like a roller-coaster of vocals.”

While the majority of acoustic acts perform songs by nationally recognized artists, as does Curse and the Cure, the pair intend to express their creativeness as well.

“We have just started the writing process and have a handful of original music we have started to add into our set,” Hopson added. “We have been incorporating elements of modern pop, indie and southern rock too. We’re fans of the late acoustic duo The Civil Wars and really love their style.”

Hopson became a fan of Touchette’s unique vocal sound when she first saw Podunk, his previous outfit, perform a concert in Houston in 2006.

“I remember sitting there asking my husband if he was hearing what I was hearing,” Hopson said. “I told my husband that I had no clue who that guy was on stage, but, one day, I was going to sing with him. Flash forward to 2013 when a friend of mine, drummer Jacob Robles, had us come to an American Sons show, a band they are both apart of, to check their set out. Jacob introduced me to Jason for the first time and told him that I could sing.

“They had me come to a rehearsal one night, so that Jason could hear me sing, and he had the same reaction to me as I did seeing him with Podunk in 2006,” she continued. “We both knew then we had to do something together. We both enjoy the same genres of music and I think that is what makes our project whole.”

Hopson believes the recent surge in the popularity of acoustic music acts across Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana over the past 18 months can be attributed to its basic elements.

“Acoustic performances are a more stripped-down and raw version of peoples favorite songs,” Hopson said. “Acoustic shows don’t require loops or tracks or anything like that. This is an intimate, small performance that really showcases vocals and the true heart and soul that people put into their music.”

For more information on the acoustic duo, find them online at www.facebook.com/curseandthecure or on twitter at CATCmusic. - Tommy Mann Jr. The Orange Leader

2 Your favorite local band right now?
Curse and the Cure — my first band to interview and introduce on stage. They are super-talented. - Beth Rankin

The annual Freedom Festival Music & Fireworks Extravaganza is one of the most anticipated local events of the year and the sixth installment will take place on Saturday, July 5 from 3-10 p.m. at 2091 Hwy 109 South between Texas Longhorn and Delta Downs in Vinton, La. Musical performances include local acts Uhnayus, Curse & The Cure, Angel Siren, Stone Blind, All Things Undone, Three Legged Dawg, and Southern Boys Band. There’s no admission fee for this all ages event, which is also a “BYOB” affair, plus there will be concessions.

The Vinton-based rock band Uhnayus will once again host and headline the event. Band lineup includes Hantz brothers David, Jeff, along with Ryan Murdock and the foursome released an album titled Elephant in the Room, which was mastered by four-time Grammy winner. Uhnayus has opened for the likes of Shinedown, Three Doors Down, Fuel, and Sevendust.

Curse & The Cure is the newest musical act from Southeast Texas that features the duo of Norma Hopson and Jason Touchette, who many remember as the lead vocalist of the group Podunk. - Chad Cooper - The Examiner Beaumont