CUSSES

"This song is simply about one thing: going out on the town."

That's how Angel Bond, the singer of Georgia-based rockers Cusses, describes her band's fist-pumping new song, "I'm Gonna Get You."

"If you had someone that has wronged you, or just a bad day," Bond continues, "you want to go out and own the night. Not with friends, but alone. Just yourself and the night — wherever it takes you, go for it."

"I'm Gonna Get You," with its huge beat and mighty guitar riffs (think Sleigh Bells, but more vengeful), is a new single from the Red Bull Sound Select band's upcoming "Here Comes the Rat" EP. It's officially out June 2, on HA! Records, but today we're excited to share the song a week early.

You can listen to "I'm Gonna Get You" above, preorder "Here Comes the Rat" on iTunes and check out Cusses' tour dates here. And be sure to crank this tune up next time you hit the town. - RED BULL

The stately city of Savannah is known for its Spanish moss, antebellum mansions and Southern charm. But in-your-face riottgrrrl rock? Well, that's a new one. Sure enough, Cusses, a hard-charging trio have released Here Comes the Rat, their sophomore EP that is magnetic from start to finish. Expertly co-produced by Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra) and Billy Hume (Ludaris, Nelly, Ying Yang Twins), the EP comes out swinging from the start and never once relents. Opener "Golden Rat" is propulsive, authoritative and absolutely effortless. Frontwoman Angel Bond commands attention with her throaty growl and kinetic presence.

The best songs and consequently the best albums are made when the music leaps through the speakers and grab you by the throat. That very thing happens in spades throughout Here Comes the Rat. Nowhere is that sense of immediacy felt more than on the arena-sized "Sally and Her Tassels," a spiky, kick-you-in-the-gut slice of rock n' roll that is accessible, urgent and most importantly, catchy as all heck. Bolstered by a titanic chorus, "Sally and Her Tassels" is the first moment at which Cusses feels like a band on the precipice of headlining some of this nation's largest festivals.

Handclaps signals the start of the 80s-tinged "I'm Gonna Get You," a punchy, head-banger that would make the likes of Joan Jett proud. Through two tracks Bond has already proven herself to be an engaging and invigorating frontwoman but on "I'm Gonna Get You" she makes that argument that much louder. While sonically the song is the weakest of the four, Bond's presence is electric and carries the song forward to its final seconds.

Here Come a Rat concludes with "Teenage Monster," a snarling, vitriolic stew that is equal parts dizzying, concussive and ferocious. At various points, Bond sounds downright possessed and drummer Brian Lackey pounds at the skins in a manner than can only be described as entrancing. More songs like "Teenage Monster" and Cusses will be media darlings by year's end. To be fair, year's end is probably a good time to revisit Cusses as Here Comes a Rat serves as a prequel for the band's upcoming LP Golden Rat. Should that disc have as much swagger and polish as Here Comes a Rat, then they're likely to make some serious noise going forward. Odds are, they won't be Savannah's secret for long.
Gregory Robson
Gregory Robson can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. - Absolutpunk.net

http://www.redbullsoundselect.com/artists/Cusses - RED BULL

http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2013/01/13/jonesys-jukebox-1132013-devin-the-bronx-local-natives-and-more/ - KROQ

http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2013/01/13/jonesys-jukebox-1132013-devin-the-bronx-local-natives-and-more/ - KROQ

http://cussesmusic.com/news/blurt-reviews-cusses-album/#sthash.ig96FAsa.dpuf.
- BLURT MAGAZINE

http://www.gazettetimes.com/entertainment/music/ql-cusses-don-t-give-in/article_c04bf098-a2de-11e2-8dd4-001a4bcf887a.html - GAZETTE TIMES

http://www.examiner.com/article/get-ready-to-rock-cusses-comes-to-portland - EXAMINER PORTLAND

http://www.examiner.com/article/get-ready-to-rock-cusses-comes-to-portland - EXAMINER PORTLAND

http://www.eastportlandblog.com/2013/04/09/the-cusses-dont-give-in/ - EAST PORTLAND BLOG

http://democratherald.com/entertainment/music/ql-cusses-don-t-give-in/article_e0196172-cb4d-5a2c-82ce-fbe9d8d1ca81.html - Democrat Herald

http://www.yellmagazine.com/cusses-tour-debut-dont-give-in/53364/ - Yell Magazine

http://www.yellmagazine.com/cusses-tour-debut-dont-give-in/53364/ - Yell Magazine

http://www.skopemag.com/2013/04/05/cusses-embark-on-headlining-spring-u-s-tour - SKOPE MAGAZINE

http://newnoisemagazine.com/cusses-embark-on-headlining-spring-us-tour/ - NEW NOISE

http://gothamrocks.net/cusses-embark-on-headlining-spring-u.s.-tour/ - GOTHAM ROCKS

http://www.gaininggroundmedia.com/index.php/cusses-embark-on-u-s-headlining-tour/ - Gaining Ground Media

http://www.gaininggroundmedia.com/index.php/cusses-embark-on-u-s-headlining-tour/ - Gaining Ground Media

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/may/02/the-cusses-rock-period/ - TIMES FREE PRESS

http://www.chattanooganow.com/news/2013/may/02/the-cusses-rock-period/ - CHATTANOOGANOW

http://rcrdlbl.com/2012/05/17/download_cusses_worst_enemy - RCDLBL

MTV - MTV

Screamer press
- SCREAMER MAGAZINE

http://www.ampmagazine.com/47744/cusses-set-to-release-self-titled-debut-october-30th/ - AMP MAGAZINE

http://www.ampmagazine.com/47744/cusses-set-to-release-self-titled-debut-october-30th/ - AMP MAGAZINE

http://www.mtvu.com/music/cusses-win-this-round-of-the-freshmen/ - MTVU

http://www.echomountain.net/news/ - ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING

http://www.echomountain.net/news/ - ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING

http://www.buzzinemusic.com/interviews/music-interview-cusses-cusses-10312012 - BUZZINE

BAND OF THE DAY http://bandofthedayapp.com/landing/bands/Cusses - BAND OF THE DAY

haunting as it is hypnotic, and it's as dirty as it is daring. The group's self-titled debut remains an inimitable and infectious affair. The record's easily one of the year's most exciting by far, opening the door into Cusses' wild world.

In this exclusive interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor in chief Rick Florino, Angel Bond and Brian Lackey of Cusses talk the record, movies, and so much more. - ARTIST DIRECT interview

Female-fronted alt-rock band Cusses released their self-titled debut album earlier this year. Now the group is unleashing the music video for the song, “Don’t Give In.”

“We wanted the video to symbolize the innocence of youth being exposed to the harsh realities of life,” says frontwoman Angel Bond. “The storyline is ultimately about the circle of life, and the good and bad distractions and influences as one goes through life.”

Watch the clip below, and beneath the video, check out Cusses’ upcoming tour dates. - REVOLVER MAGAZINE

A few months ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the Savannah, GA 3-piece known as Cusses, and I was warned. Not warned like “oh look out for them because they’re trouble” but warned as in “they could be one of your new favorite bands, so make room!” by my good friend Patrick Keenan of The Winter Sounds. So a few months back I had the distinct pleasure of seeing them play with Athens band, Manray (The 3rd loudest band I’ve seen next to Mose Giganticus or Dinosaur Jr.) and Greenville’s Modern Man. Like I say in the interview, I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect when they stepped on stage but 30 seconds in, (or less) I knew I was in for a good time! The band will be back this Friday Oct 14th at Chicora Alley in Greenville with Today The Moon Tomorrow The Sun and The Winter Sounds to kick off the Fall Down For Greenville fest which will be carried on to the wee hours of the night. So make sure to get there at 9:30 to give them some love!

How would you describe your sound to someone who hadn’t heard you before? It’s definitely not easily classifiable to me. Patrick from The Winter Sounds said a heavier Yeah-Yeah-Yeah’s, I’m leaning towards a funkier Be Your Own Pet, but neither of those quite fit to me.

I think it’s a honest sound, collective of the three of us. We really feel apart from, and further back into rock and roll than present day. A touch Siouxsie and The Banshees, Joan Jett, AC/DC, all the way back to Sabbath.

I have a confession. I liked you guys when I first heard you but didn’t quite “get” your sound until I saw you live. With that being said, how would you describe your live show?

We hope it’s the next thing to having your heart explode from over intake. RAW, RAW? RAW! No synths! No Click tracks! All alive on the edge of music and silence, anything goes.

Your music seems to conjure a lot of Horror and B-movie imagery (specifically your video for Purses), is this intentional in the writing process or was it more of a “Hey this seems to have a common thread” kind of thing?

Not really in the writing process do we put this in our heads at all, in face we really think of it more as a positive outlook than the B movie theme, but the reference are to be old school and classic, more than hip to the day. Really falling into the black and white aspect alone creates a timeless feel. Angel came from a rough upbringing so she likes to reflect and relates to the “big boogie man chasing her”. But bringing it out about that you can get/work through anything with a positive perception and music!


Why the decision to play as a 3-piece combining guitarist/bassist instead of a more conventional 4-piece? (You actually pull it off, some acts not so much).

Thank you, both Bryan and Brian have played together since 1992. They work so fast and tight together there is really no need to add anything else, it would just slow the work flow down. Plus we all know it’s easier with the less people you have. We have never felt we were lacking anything.

I read recently that you guys recorded your new album with Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra) at The Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, what can you tell us about working with him and the experience?

It was all you hope to have while making a record, and we really wanted to have the record resemble the classic rock and roll recording process instead of at home on Protools (plug in after plug in).

We looked at many different producers from Steve Albini to Claudius Mittendorfer, but we finally crossed paths with Dan and Brad (Engineer), we knew we had found our producer. We instantly felt he knew the sound we were after. In recording you want to become a better musician, and with Dan we got that and more, a real great friend. Recording at Echo was a ride in itself, beautiful vintage equipment set in a mountain church. We went through it, had our ups and downs, rise and falls, and we could not be more thrilled to have this as our first record.

What can we as Cusses fans expect from the new album? Any major curveballs?

If the curveball is classic return to rock, then that’s the hit we’re after.

What’s on your plate for the rest of the year? Any album release plans yet or things of that nature?

We have many ideas, we’re still in the process of constructing the album as far as the back end goes. We have some packaging and distro ideas. We’re thinking out of the box with just LP and digital. As well we have a documentary and mini-movie in works with many artists to help our vision come to life. We are planning an all day fest for the release but this will be in 2012.

You’re playing The Fall-Down for Greenville mini-festival on Oct 14th at Chicora Alley and kicking things off, do you think you have it takes to be the first band on but the last one still standing at the end of the night? (Warning: what you say can and will be used against you by the other bands haha)

We love opening, fresh ears are our favorite thing, we like to go i - we are the upstate

At the very first Cusses gig, not much more than a year ago, singer Angel Bond felt her ankle bones cracking inside the old shoes she wore onstage. By the end of the show, after hours of bouncing and dancing and thrashing at the microphone, both straps on her dress were irrevocably broken. The zipper in back was a disaster.

Lesson learned. Today, Bond dresses for comfort — leggings and a tank top. Her bare feet are wrapped in Ace bandages, and she mans her centerstage post with a comfy shag rug underneath.

It’s become a look, as much a part of the Cusses mystique as Brian Lackey’s pummeling, raw–energy drums and the distorted multi–octave crunch–chords of Bryan Harder’s guitar.

“I don’t know who that person is up on the stage,” Bond says. “I have no idea what she’s doing up there. I’m just trying to let her do what she wants to do.”

In a relatively short time, Cusses has become Savannah’s “must–see” band. Bond, Lackey and Harder play with blood, sweat and punk abandon, but it’s the alchemy of their individual influences — grunge, metal, electronica, R&B and ‘90s pop — that makes the band so exciting to hear and to watch.

For Bond, who moved around a lot as a child, this sense of wild expression is exhilarating.

“I was always the new kid,” she explains. “So I was super–aware of what people thought of me. That’s why it’s been so important to get to that point. Then you’re able to let go.”

She’d been a saxophone player in school, and was content to hide with the other people in her section, a little lamb in a big flock of sheep.

Eventually, her intense stage fright eroded away.

What it took, she explains, was “Years of growth, and being with two phenomenal musicians that have pushed me to an edge that I’d wanted to go. And made me comfortable.”

A New Jersey native, Harder arrived at SCAD in 1992 and began to study architecture. As a guitarist, he was drawn to the tough, visceral style of Black Flag’s Greg Ginn and the Melvins’ Buzz Osbourne, and to the innovation and theatrical flourish of Jimmy Page.

“I find that each of these guys were innovators in their genres,” Harder says, “and really displayed non–conventional playing styles at the time.”

Almost immediately, Harder met Lackey, who’d come to SCAD from North Carolina. “I remember that when I was about 12, my family got HBO and I saw The Song Remains The Same,” says Lackey. “And that was it. John Bonham’s kind of a given for everybody. I don’t really play like him at all, but I definitely like his energy.”

Lackey cites his main influence as Animal, the drummer for theMuppet Show band. Watching him play — he’s like an eight–armed octopus — the lineage is logical.

Harder and Lackey played in numerous bands together in the 1990s. Although there wasn’t much happening musically downtown at the time, all the musicians thought of themselves as part of a tightly–knit community.

“You knew every single person at the show,” Lackey says.

“I think the scene was probably the same as it is now,” adds Harder, “but there weren’t as many people here. So it seemed a lot bigger.”

An artist and photographer, Lackey left Savannah, came back and left again, and whenever he made camp in town he and Harder would re–convene and put another project together, advancing each time on the freestyle playing approach they’d begun to enjoy, and relying on the musical telepathy that comes from jamming together for so long. Gradually, they stopped doing cover material.

“I think that’s a natural process,” Lackey explains. “If you’re an architect, you’re going to emulate somebody’s building, and eventually you’re going to find your own style. But it’s still going to hold those qualities.”

In 2005, Bond — who’d been living in Naples, Fla., managing a cafe — relocated herself to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“I got a little team of five together, and set up a little renegade tent village,” she explains. “And went in every day and just found out what people needed. I was only going to go for a couple months, but when I got in it, I was just overwhelmed. And I had to stay until it ran out.”

Although she’d started to sing, at open mic nights back in Florida, it wasn’t until New Orleans, with its cozy camaraderie between musicians, that Bond began to fully enjoy expressing herself musically.

“I spent most of my life volunteering all over the country or the world,” she says, “and it’s always been for other people. I thought being a singer, and doing music, was the most selfish thing I could do. So I didn’t allow myself to do it. Even though I always wanted to.

“And I secretly sang at home by myself. I thought ‘Naw, I can’t do that. I’m supposed to be doing other things.’”

Between 2006 and 2009, Lackey was in Los Angeles doing prop work and set design for television, films, commercials and print advertising.

“Anything,” he smiles, “that would pay me.” He also started digging the polyrhythms of electronic - CONNECT SAVANNAH

At the very first Cusses gig, not much more than a year ago, singer Angel Bond felt her ankle bones cracking inside the old shoes she wore onstage. By the end of the show, after hours of bouncing and dancing and thrashing at the microphone, both straps on her dress were irrevocably broken. The zipper in back was a disaster.

Lesson learned. Today, Bond dresses for comfort — leggings and a tank top. Her bare feet are wrapped in Ace bandages, and she mans her centerstage post with a comfy shag rug underneath.

It’s become a look, as much a part of the Cusses mystique as Brian Lackey’s pummeling, raw–energy drums and the distorted multi–octave crunch–chords of Bryan Harder’s guitar.

“I don’t know who that person is up on the stage,” Bond says. “I have no idea what she’s doing up there. I’m just trying to let her do what she wants to do.”

In a relatively short time, Cusses has become Savannah’s “must–see” band. Bond, Lackey and Harder play with blood, sweat and punk abandon, but it’s the alchemy of their individual influences — grunge, metal, electronica, R&B and ‘90s pop — that makes the band so exciting to hear and to watch.

For Bond, who moved around a lot as a child, this sense of wild expression is exhilarating.

“I was always the new kid,” she explains. “So I was super–aware of what people thought of me. That’s why it’s been so important to get to that point. Then you’re able to let go.”

She’d been a saxophone player in school, and was content to hide with the other people in her section, a little lamb in a big flock of sheep.

Eventually, her intense stage fright eroded away.

What it took, she explains, was “Years of growth, and being with two phenomenal musicians that have pushed me to an edge that I’d wanted to go. And made me comfortable.”

A New Jersey native, Harder arrived at SCAD in 1992 and began to study architecture. As a guitarist, he was drawn to the tough, visceral style of Black Flag’s Greg Ginn and the Melvins’ Buzz Osbourne, and to the innovation and theatrical flourish of Jimmy Page.

“I find that each of these guys were innovators in their genres,” Harder says, “and really displayed non–conventional playing styles at the time.”

Almost immediately, Harder met Lackey, who’d come to SCAD from North Carolina. “I remember that when I was about 12, my family got HBO and I saw The Song Remains The Same,” says Lackey. “And that was it. John Bonham’s kind of a given for everybody. I don’t really play like him at all, but I definitely like his energy.”

Lackey cites his main influence as Animal, the drummer for theMuppet Show band. Watching him play — he’s like an eight–armed octopus — the lineage is logical.

Harder and Lackey played in numerous bands together in the 1990s. Although there wasn’t much happening musically downtown at the time, all the musicians thought of themselves as part of a tightly–knit community.

“You knew every single person at the show,” Lackey says.

“I think the scene was probably the same as it is now,” adds Harder, “but there weren’t as many people here. So it seemed a lot bigger.”

An artist and photographer, Lackey left Savannah, came back and left again, and whenever he made camp in town he and Harder would re–convene and put another project together, advancing each time on the freestyle playing approach they’d begun to enjoy, and relying on the musical telepathy that comes from jamming together for so long. Gradually, they stopped doing cover material.

“I think that’s a natural process,” Lackey explains. “If you’re an architect, you’re going to emulate somebody’s building, and eventually you’re going to find your own style. But it’s still going to hold those qualities.”

In 2005, Bond — who’d been living in Naples, Fla., managing a cafe — relocated herself to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“I got a little team of five together, and set up a little renegade tent village,” she explains. “And went in every day and just found out what people needed. I was only going to go for a couple months, but when I got in it, I was just overwhelmed. And I had to stay until it ran out.”

Although she’d started to sing, at open mic nights back in Florida, it wasn’t until New Orleans, with its cozy camaraderie between musicians, that Bond began to fully enjoy expressing herself musically.

“I spent most of my life volunteering all over the country or the world,” she says, “and it’s always been for other people. I thought being a singer, and doing music, was the most selfish thing I could do. So I didn’t allow myself to do it. Even though I always wanted to.

“And I secretly sang at home by myself. I thought ‘Naw, I can’t do that. I’m supposed to be doing other things.’”

Between 2006 and 2009, Lackey was in Los Angeles doing prop work and set design for television, films, commercials and print advertising.

“Anything,” he smiles, “that would pay me.” He also started digging the polyrhythms of electronic - CONNECT SAVANNAH

It would behoove loyal fans of Cusses to catch this show, as it will be the high energy band's last in town until September. "We just have a really big summer ahead of us," singer Angel Bond reports. "And we know it's kind of quiet - we don't want to overplay Savannah. We've been playing quite a bit here, and we want to space it out. We need to keep some elements of surprise and mystery!"

Ah, but Bond, drummer Brian Lackey and guitarist Bryan Harder won't just be lounging around on the beach at Tybee. The band has momentum and they intend to further explore it.

Next week, they're traveling to Asheville to record the first full-length Cusses album, with producer Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra) at the helm. On July 29, they'll play a show in that North Carolina mountain town.

"Then we head off to New York, Philly and Boston for the first two weeks in August," Bond says. "After that, we're back south with a few shows in Columbia, Charleston and a lot of the surrounding cities before everything here gets back into full swing."

Bond and her bandmates are excited about the new songs they've been writing. "Our last show in Savannah, we did basically a whole new set of music," she explains. "And we had a really good response from it. It's a little scary at first, but every time we get into the studio we write three or four new songs."

The album will include a number of new tunes, along with the very first recordings of some of Cusses' road-tested faves. "It's been really cool to see the music evolve with us," says Bond, "and we're really digging our new stuff. It's a fun process."

They will be back, she promises. "I think it's always good to welcome the kids back. I love the summertime, but it's also an amazing energy when SCAD and the other schools are back in full swing.

"We love this town, and we always want to show our support and loyalty to the community." See myspace.com/cussesmusic - CONNECT SAVANNAH

It would behoove loyal fans of Cusses to catch this show, as it will be the high energy band's last in town until September. "We just have a really big summer ahead of us," singer Angel Bond reports. "And we know it's kind of quiet - we don't want to overplay Savannah. We've been playing quite a bit here, and we want to space it out. We need to keep some elements of surprise and mystery!"

Ah, but Bond, drummer Brian Lackey and guitarist Bryan Harder won't just be lounging around on the beach at Tybee. The band has momentum and they intend to further explore it.

Next week, they're traveling to Asheville to record the first full-length Cusses album, with producer Dan Hannon (Manchester Orchestra) at the helm. On July 29, they'll play a show in that North Carolina mountain town.

"Then we head off to New York, Philly and Boston for the first two weeks in August," Bond says. "After that, we're back south with a few shows in Columbia, Charleston and a lot of the surrounding cities before everything here gets back into full swing."

Bond and her bandmates are excited about the new songs they've been writing. "Our last show in Savannah, we did basically a whole new set of music," she explains. "And we had a really good response from it. It's a little scary at first, but every time we get into the studio we write three or four new songs."

The album will include a number of new tunes, along with the very first recordings of some of Cusses' road-tested faves. "It's been really cool to see the music evolve with us," says Bond, "and we're really digging our new stuff. It's a fun process."

They will be back, she promises. "I think it's always good to welcome the kids back. I love the summertime, but it's also an amazing energy when SCAD and the other schools are back in full swing.

"We love this town, and we always want to show our support and loyalty to the community." See myspace.com/cussesmusic - CONNECT SAVANNAH

If you haven’t heard about these guys, you probably will soon. Then we had our good buddy Dan Hannon come back and bring us two projects back to back. First was the rockin’ three piece Cusses. These guys (and girl) brought the rock to the Neve Room for 10 days and ended their studio time with a killer live show at the Lexington Ave Brewery. Cusses are actually from Savannah, GA. - ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING

If you haven’t heard about these guys, you probably will soon. Then we had our good buddy Dan Hannon come back and bring us two projects back to back. First was the rockin’ three piece Cusses. These guys (and girl) brought the rock to the Neve Room for 10 days and ended their studio time with a killer live show at the Lexington Ave Brewery. Cusses are actually from Savannah, GA. - ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING

At 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16

The Jinx, 127 W. Congress St.

Savannah has a proprietary interest in the dance/punk trio Cusses. Together Angel Bond, Brian Lackey and Bryan Harder are our Little Band That Could, and they've spent the past two months polishing their chops, pushing the envelope and working hard to honor and retain the trifecta of titles they won in the Connect 2011 Best of Savannah readers' poll: Best Punk Band, Best Rock Band and Best Vocalist (that's Angel).

Bond is breathless while talking about Cusses' recent recording sessions (there's a full-length coming in a few months) at the prestigious Echo Mountain Studios, a converted church sanctuary in Asheville (Band of Horses and the Avett Brothers, among others, have cut tracks there).

"It's a mix of old and new," she explains. "Some of the first songs we ever wrote are on there, and some of our latest songs. And some in between. So I really think you can hear how we've evolved in the record."

Bond and the others have been in Atlanta this week, finagling some of the Asheville vocal tracks. The (self-titled) album, she says "is all live in the studio. Obviously, there's some overdubs - I do some backup vocals here and there, and some harmonies here and there - but we're trying to keep it as true to the live sound as possible. Because we're just a two-piece musically, with vocals. So we're not going over the top, production-wise."

At the band's Jinx show this weekend - their first hometown gig since July - they intend to play the entire album live.

Once the studio sessions were wrapped, Cusses traveled to Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. In The Apple, they performed at Arlene's Grocery, the Litt Lounge and Cameo Gallery.

"It was amazing," says Bond. "It was only our second time playing there. Our first show, I asked the crowd ‘Who has seen us before?' and ‘Who's from Savannah?' and three-quarters of the crowd raised their hands.

"A lot of people that graduate in Savannah end up in New York. That's to our advantage. We had a great Savannah support."

Then came dates in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Columbia and Charleston, where 500 people turned up to see them (sharing the bill with the Shaniqua Brown).

All this for a band that didn't exist 16 months ago, and began with a small, grassroots following here in Savannah. Bond acknowledges the easy accessibility of regional music on the Internet as a factor. "We're already seeing people singing along to the songs, which is I think pretty crazy after a year! And there were people that showed up in New York who said ‘I saw you here last year, and I've been waiting all year for you to come back.' That was pretty great."

For guitarist Harder, who's a working architect, a teacher, a husband and a father, Cusses' summer vacation was something entirely new.

"It was the first time he'd ever actually been away that long from his family," Bond says. "So it was definitely a true testament! And we are very grateful to his wife for sticking it through and being able to hold down the fort while we did this record." See myspace.com/cussesmusic

- CONNECT SAVANNAH

At 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16

The Jinx, 127 W. Congress St.

Savannah has a proprietary interest in the dance/punk trio Cusses. Together Angel Bond, Brian Lackey and Bryan Harder are our Little Band That Could, and they've spent the past two months polishing their chops, pushing the envelope and working hard to honor and retain the trifecta of titles they won in the Connect 2011 Best of Savannah readers' poll: Best Punk Band, Best Rock Band and Best Vocalist (that's Angel).

Bond is breathless while talking about Cusses' recent recording sessions (there's a full-length coming in a few months) at the prestigious Echo Mountain Studios, a converted church sanctuary in Asheville (Band of Horses and the Avett Brothers, among others, have cut tracks there).

"It's a mix of old and new," she explains. "Some of the first songs we ever wrote are on there, and some of our latest songs. And some in between. So I really think you can hear how we've evolved in the record."

Bond and the others have been in Atlanta this week, finagling some of the Asheville vocal tracks. The (self-titled) album, she says "is all live in the studio. Obviously, there's some overdubs - I do some backup vocals here and there, and some harmonies here and there - but we're trying to keep it as true to the live sound as possible. Because we're just a two-piece musically, with vocals. So we're not going over the top, production-wise."

At the band's Jinx show this weekend - their first hometown gig since July - they intend to play the entire album live.

Once the studio sessions were wrapped, Cusses traveled to Boston, Philadelphia and New York City. In The Apple, they performed at Arlene's Grocery, the Litt Lounge and Cameo Gallery.

"It was amazing," says Bond. "It was only our second time playing there. Our first show, I asked the crowd ‘Who has seen us before?' and ‘Who's from Savannah?' and three-quarters of the crowd raised their hands.

"A lot of people that graduate in Savannah end up in New York. That's to our advantage. We had a great Savannah support."

Then came dates in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Columbia and Charleston, where 500 people turned up to see them (sharing the bill with the Shaniqua Brown).

All this for a band that didn't exist 16 months ago, and began with a small, grassroots following here in Savannah. Bond acknowledges the easy accessibility of regional music on the Internet as a factor. "We're already seeing people singing along to the songs, which is I think pretty crazy after a year! And there were people that showed up in New York who said ‘I saw you here last year, and I've been waiting all year for you to come back.' That was pretty great."

For guitarist Harder, who's a working architect, a teacher, a husband and a father, Cusses' summer vacation was something entirely new.

"It was the first time he'd ever actually been away that long from his family," Bond says. "So it was definitely a true testament! And we are very grateful to his wife for sticking it through and being able to hold down the fort while we did this record." See myspace.com/cussesmusic

- CONNECT SAVANNAH

hursday, April 29, 2010
The Cusses are a little bit Joan Jett, Alice Cooper, The Knack and Franz Ferdinand, a dash of the Killers and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with a bit of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" thrown in for good measure. In short, they have a sound all their own, which for this trio out of Savannah is a good thing.

"I tried to live vicariously by singing other styles and other people's music before I got the courage to sing my own songs," says frontwoman Angel Boyd, the songbird for the band.

The classic sounds of Otis Redding and other Motown soul crooners attracted her because of their emotional energy, and it was the first sound she tried to imitate.

This 30-something who has lived "all over" pulls from her own experience to pen the lyrics for the compositions the band creates.

"I am trying to be more positive in my writing, more upbeat with a good message and add a little bit of a pop twist," she explains. "There is a lot of energy in our music."

And it's energy that they knew was there from the first sold-out show in Savannah earlier this year. Drummer Brian Lackey and guitarist Bryan Harder run a tight ship with driving beats, their influences of electronica, thrash and punk fueling their new work.

Harder, a faculty member at the Savannah College of Art and Design, had played with SCAD alumnus Lackey in other bands, but the addition of Boyd added a new melodic focus to the wall of sound to which their fans flock.

if you go
What: Genrevolta with The Cusses.

When: May 7 at 8 p.m.

Where: The Tin Roof.

Cost: $5.

Info: myspace.com/cussesmusic.

"We are having a good time," says Lackey. "We want to bring our Southern family up with us, and we treat it like that, connecting as personally as possible. We have the old tactic approach, but using the new community too, like Facebook, has really helped us connect."

For The Cusses, the live show's the thing. It's defiant music, fast, electric and loud, but its punk twist is that in today's world, it is defiantly optimistic.

"The live experience is the best part about it. We can really express our music to people more than just listening to a CD," Boyd says.

But that expression does not include profanity, despite the name. The moniker is more of a nod to their sense of humor, possibly their Southern roots (think "he's an odd little cuss") and, well, it was memorable. - charleston scene

Based in Savannah’s arty music scene, rock trio Cusses doesn’t specialize in anything resembling swampy blues or south Georgia roots-rock. Drummer Brian Lackey, guitarist Bryan Harder, and singer Angel Bond play raw, forceful, unpredictable, dynamic weirdo rock. “We set out to put a burn rather than a mark in the endless music community,” says Lackey. “We hope to become a homegrown affair for the Savannah borough and then anyone else that follows.” Local trio Genrevolta looks forward to regrouping and sharing the Tin Roof stage. Singer/guitarist Philip Estes, bassist Darby McGregor, and drummer Pete Rivas haven’t played in town since a triumphant show at the venue last fall. Estes attended art school at SCAD with members of Cusses back in 1990s. “Their live performance really is fantastic — wicked dynamite,” says Estes. —T. Ballard Lesemann - charleston city paper

I can't quiet put my finger on it but there seems to be an air of nonchalant loveliness to this song. I feel as if I'm stretched out on my bed, glazed over on a Sunday morning, lamenting the night before as sunlight invites itself into my room and blankets me, giving my body some sort of washed over reprieve from all the dirt and dry sweat on my skin I just can't seem to shake off. Waves and waves of creamy distortion backed with forceful drums and the prettiest of Savannah voices provide comfort in my own personal rut. Kinda like hugging a pastel switchblade. - rose quartz