wussyblog

"From Cincinnati with W" - Toronto Eye Weekly

"An oldster on a mailing list tipped us off to indie-pop wunderkinds Wussy, Cincinnati's second-best kept secret, who, after a hail of critical acclaim for their debut, released their second disc Left For Dead..."

"Top 10 Alt-Country Greats Not Recorded by Uncle Tupelo": Stylus Magazine - 8/17/07

#03. Wussy – Funeral Dress (2005)
"Virtually ignored outside of Ohio, Cleaver’s songwriting partnership with Lisa Walker (in her first band ever) has been one of the most fruitful of the decade..."

"A Stronger Wussy": Cincinnati Enquirer - 8/17/07

"Indie-rock musicians like Chuck Cleaver often aspire to land a major-label record deal. But Cleaver, who fronts the local group Wussy with Lisa Walker, has done the major-label thing, and has come away knowing that working with a record company based out in Hollywood might make less sense than working with one a few blocks away."

Left for Dead Review: Cincinnati Citybeat - 8/15/07

" If critics went ga-ga over Funeral Dress, wait 'til they get a load of Left for Dead. While Funeral Dress had an endearing "ragged glory" element to it, Dead is much more focused and better produced. While Funeral Dress had some fantastic songs on it, the band members still somewhat sounded like they were getting to know how to play with each other. I overheard someone a few months ago say, "Wussy would be great if they gave a shit," suggesting that the last record was too slackerly. Left for Dead doesn't have that issue -- while still featuring plenty of "bash it out" moments, all of the elements of the band shine through and even the songwriting is more advanced and ear-grabbing."

"Left for Dead": Cin Weekly - 8/13/07

"Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver have earned a calm and positive lead-up to the release of Wussy's second CD, Left for Dead, since the band was doing a convincing Fleetwood Mac imitation the first time it made a record a couple years ago. When Walker and Cleaver opine that the new CD is better than the old one in every way, they list things that can be heard, like songwriting, performance and the recording quality. But the other important factor is the band's collective peace of mind, which seems to have been achieved without compromising the same emotional tension and release on Left for Dead that made debut Funeral Dress so fantastic."

Wussy WOXY Lounge Act: August 3, 2007

From WOXY.com:
"Even though Chuck was a little under the weather that afternoon, Wussy gave us another great performance in the Lounge. With their 2nd album "Left For Dead" on the way, they gave us our first listen to some of the new material. There are three brand new cuts off that record in this set. They also begin the performance with 2 WOXY faves from their 2005 debut record "Funeral Dress" and close out the Lounge Act with a brand new cut that didn't materialize until after they were finished recording the new record. If this is any indication of the material that is still to come from this Cincinnati band, we're already looking forward to album #3."

Track Listing:
Funeral Dress
Crooked
- interview -
Jonah
Mayflies
- interview -
Sun Giant Says Hey
Sweetie Sweetie (new/unreleased)

Audio Archive

Download MP3 (33:31)

Photos from Summer 2007

New photos up from Twangfest (St. Louis), CD Central 4th of July Party (Lexington), Lobsterfest (Athens), Abbey Pub (Chicago), Taste of Cincinnati, and more.

Twangfest Wrap-Up

After his legendary set/rant in 2001, Chuck was a little nervous going into this year's Twangfest. But everything went beautifully. We did an in-store at Vintage Vinyl, and then headed down the street for the Festival set at the Duck Room. It was an honor to play such a great event run by real nice folks. Thanks to everyone who came out!

There are some pictures posted on FivePics.com and I'll be adding some more on here.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
"You knew Wussy would be aggressive when Burman broke a drumstick on the first downbeat of the set – and the same happened later to Messerly playing xylophone..."

Wussy Summer Tour Schedule

More dates may be added, so check back!
May 19 - Chicago, Abbey Pub
May 26 (7pm) - Cincinnati, Taste of Cincinnati
May 26 (10pm) - Cincinnati, Northside Tavern (EP Release)
June 2 - Athens, OH, Lobsterfest
June 8 - Newport, KY, Southgate House
June 9 (5pm) - St. Louis, MO, Vintage Vinyl
June 9 (10pm)- St. Louis, MO, Twangfest
June 29 - Cincinnati, OH, Northside Tavern
August 3 (3pm) - WOXY
August 3 (10pm) - Newport, KY
August 17 - Cincinnati, OH (CD Release)

EP Release Update

Update 5/01/07: Wussy will be releasing a homemade EP over Memorial Day weekend at the Northside Tavern. The band will be creating 100 "very special" home-made CDs and covers for the limited release, which will include "Rigor Mortis" as well as one non-album track, one cover, and a live version of a previously recorded song. Wussy's sophomore full-length effort (Either Sex Teenage Deerhunt) will be released on Shake It Records in late August of 2007.

Here's the schedule of events:
May 26 7pm (sharp!)- Wussy at Taste of Cincinnati
Downtown Cincinnati (free, all ages) with Kim Taylor, Ellery and more
(the EP won't be available until the late show)

May 26 11pm - Wussy EP Release
with Coltrane Motion (free, 21+)

Hope to see you there!