popmatters and pazz-n-jop
February 5th, 2010
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2009 Pazz and Jop Poll

Wussy made a good showing in the 2009 Pazz and Jop poll, compiled by the Village Voice and the almost 700 critics who contribute their votes. The self-titled album ranked #109 out of 1934 albums in the poll. Well within the top 10%. Check out the link to the right to see the complete list.

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Wussy on PopMatters

Recently PopMatters did a feature on Wussy. Robert Loss writes: “Perhaps the question isn’t why “keep on keepin’ on,” but how? You can begin by making a record as good as Wussy, an effortless-sounding album full of spit, regret, and, at times, a damn-near spiritual beauty.” Link to the full article is to the right.

While we work on the new record, we’re playing regionally across the Midwest and East Coast throughout the spring. We’ll keep our  tour page updated with new dates as they’re added. There’s lots in the works for summer. But for now, here’s what we’ve got.

Ultrasuede (photos by John Curley)

Ultrasuede (photos by John Curley)

FEB
19th Melody Inn, Indianapolis
26th Cleveland, Beachland
27th Columbus, Tree House

MAR
6th Detroit, Majestic Theater (duo)
20th Cincinnati, Northside Tavern
25th Chicago, Darkroom
26th Winona, Ed’s Bar
27th Minneapolis, Sauce

APRIL
1st Cincinnati Zoo
10th Dayton, South Park Tavern
14th Pittsburgh, The Smiling Moose
15th Philadelphia, The Fire
16th Manhattan, Cake Shop
17th Brooklyn, Spike Hill

The Cleveland, Columbus, and East Coast dates will be with our good friends The Fervor. We’re thrilled to get to hit the road with these guys and we know you’ll love them, too. We also got word that Shake It just sent off the new “Breakfast in Bed” Wussy single for pressing. It should arrive very soon. Stay tuned.

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Posted in Band Updates, Feature, Press, Self-Titled, Tour |
state of the band
January 14th, 2010

wussymusic2Happy New Year once again.. We are gearing up for a busy winter and spring so keep your ears peeled. Right now we’re planning spring tour dates and working on a new record. We’ll have a single (vinyl-only) on Shake It Records coming out this spring as part of their Dangerous Highway series, a tribute to Eddie Hinton. The A-Side is our take on the classic “Breakfast in Bed” made famous by Dusty Springfield. More news on that soon. The Drive By Truckers and Greg Dulli 45’s are out now (see shakeitrecords.com for more info).

In the meantime, we’re also working on a live album and a collection of Wussy remixes from other artists.

In other news, Wussy’s self-titled album was #10 on Christgau’s 2009 Dean’s List!

Thanks sincerely to Wussy folk everywhere for sticking with us into 2010!
Chuck, Joe, Lisa, Mark

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Posted in Band Updates, Press, Self-Titled |
“that’s the sound of someone singing in an empty room”
January 1st, 2010

BEST OF THE DECADE
We were quite happy to discover that Wussy was included in Robert Christgau’s Best of the Decade list! Funeral Dress ranked #4 and Left for Dead came in at #14.

WRECKLESS ERIC’S NEW YEAR’S RADIO BROADCAST
Download or stream here. In which Eric describes the night Lisa opened for he and wife Amy Rigby this past summer “somewhere far flung.. CINCINNATI!.. we met them in a whorehouse in Cincinnati actually..” Writer Steve Rosen was also there and gives his take on the evening here. Either way, we think you should really be listening to the Wreckless Eric Radio Show on a regular basis.

CITYBEAT BEST OF 2009
 We got some love from Cincinnati’s weekly in several mentions over the past couple of weeks:

Heroes of the Zeroes, Fifty reasons why real music fans were lucky to live in Cincinnati in the ’00s: “Ass Ponys fans saddened by that band’s unceremonious disappearance found a more-than-apt substitute with Wussy, Chuck Cleaver’s subsequent group that featured co-singing/writing/fronting partner Lisa Walker. The band’s three albums in the ’00s received national acclaim from big-time media outlets and were among the best releases of the decade, local or otherwise.” (Mike Breen) read the rest
Best National Releases of 09: “The local quartet’s most compelling and cohesive statement to date digs deep via Chuck Cleaver’s and Lisa Walker’s tension-riddled tales of relationships in various states of disrepair. Just as impressive has been the evolution of Wussy’s use of dynamics — the most important of which remains the unique dichotomy, both aesthetically and musically, of its lead couple.” (Jason Gargano) read the rest
Best Local Releases of 09: “Wussy’s third album was a culmination of everything the band does well: eccentric but grippingly clever wordplay, crafty vocal interplay and dirty, buzzing Pop songs that bubble with soulful energy and heart-baring/ blasting emotions.” (Mike Breen) read the rest

Critics and Radio Polls
Greg Dulli’s Top Ten on Brooklyn Vegan
Blurt Magazine: Jason Gross and Steve Rosen
WFPK (Louisville): Stacey Owen
KEXP (Seattle/NYC): Don Slack
Damanbly (UK): George Gargan

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Posted in Downloads, Funeral Dress, Left for Dead, Press, Self-Titled |
year end news
December 18th, 2009


UPCOMING SHOWS
We’ve added a couple of holiday shows and posted some preliminary info on our 2010 tour. Lots more to follow!
Tues 12/22: Beachland Tavern, Cleveland OH (10pm)
Sat 12/26: Northside Tavern, Cincinnati OH (10pm) w/Sundresses
Sun 12/27: Canal St Tavern, Dayton OH (9:30pm) w/Heartless Bastards

WOXY Best of 2009
Wussy’s self-titled was #26 on WOXY’s annual 97 Best List! Click here to see the full list. Thanks to the folks at WOXY and the listeners for helping make it such a great year for us.

THUMBS UP FROM CANADA
Check out this article in the Travel section of the Toronto Star about a road trip to see Wussy in Ohio. Even with the flight, they said it was a great value! "It’s been raining as we drive through the rolling hills into Cincinnati. The sun fights to come out, but we know it won’t make it – and by nightfall, the rain will be falling hard once again. Now, you might think that’s a pretty depressing way to start a fast trip into the American heartland to take in a band at a local bar, but if you’ve ever heard the music of indie heroes Wussy, you’d know the pathetic fallacy is perfect.” Read the Rest.

MISC NEWS
We got a nice mention in a year-end top ten list from a paper in Mass.: "On their third album, these Cincinnati weirdos deliver something that’s above all loaded: country-laced alt-rock and pop and a jet-black sense of humor that leaves front-people Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver sounding like a twisted, more sinister Linda and Richard Thompson. They’re much more in line with the Velvet Underground, though, than Fairport Convention."

Did you see our new splash? We’ll continue to add new stuff to it here and there and special downloads and such. Credits: Splash Photo by Brian Niesz, design by Lisa. Tavern Photo above from 11/25 ‘Funeral Dress’ show by Michael Kearns. Which reminds me, we haven’t forgotten about that live recording. But it’s probably not coming out until early 2010. We’re back in the studio working on full length #4 right now and got sidetracked with that. We’ll keep you posted.

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Posted in Band Updates, Press, Self-Titled, Tour |
that’s what I get for being in a band with three people who could fit on a charm bracelet
December 1st, 2009

holidayHey all! Wussy and our friends the Sundresses will be playing in Lexington this Saturday December 5 along with Killer Meteor. We’re very excited to bring the full band back to the Green Lantern – one of our favorite stages to play! Thanks to the good folks at WRFL, CD Central, Boomslang Festival and the Green Lantern for making us feel so at home in Lexington.

The live Funeral Dress recording went well and we should have that in hand before too long!

New Merch: Limited edition greeting postcards!
Set of six for five bucks. We’ll have them at shows, or if you want to order some, send a note to darren(at)shakeitrecords.com and I’ll drop some off at their mail order shop.

img.phpNew Digital Best Of Comp: Wussy – Campout!
Just the ‘hits’! Airborne, Happiness Bleeds, Jonah, Muscle Cars, Rigor Mortis, Soak It Up, Sun Giant Says Hey. For Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, you’ll have to wait for the second installment. Give this lil camper a home in your digital wonderland. Available via ThinkIndie for $7.49. Perfect for Wussy newcomers.

New Press: Wussy Feature in Cincinnati Magazine
“The Ballad of Chuck and Lisa” by Jason Cohen, photographs by Jonathan Willis. Excerpt —- “Fifteen years later, Cleaver is still living in Cincinnati, and still DEC09_Wussyplaying in a celebrated Cincinnati band—assuming, it can be said with minimal hyperbole, that the group in question, Wussy, didn’t break up in the time it took this magazine to go to press. But if that happened, not to worry. The band’s implosions never last, and make-up records really are the best… Formed on a whim (and possibly a crush) by Cleaver and Walker in 2001, Wussy—which also includes bassist/multi-instrumentalist Mark Messerly and drummer Joe Klug—highlights her voice and writing chops as much as his. It would be easier to split an atom than to separate the pair’s creative spark from their romantic life, which has been nuclear indeed. “What a *%#@ing nightmare it’s been!” says Messerly, without a trace of rancor.” read the rest

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Posted in Album Releases, Feature, Photos, Press |
who you callin turkey?
November 23rd, 2009

Wussy1125_webWednesday 11/25 and Saturday 12/26 at Northside Tavern (Cincinnati)
Let the warm glow of Wussy straddle your holidays this year. We’ll be doing two special hometown shows at Northside Tavern. The first is this Wednesday November 25, everyone’s favorite social holiday: Thanksgiving Eve. A special two-set night! Things will kick off around 10:30pm with a live recreation of our first album Funeral Dress. The second set will include newer stuff and requests. The whole thing will be recorded by engineer-extraordinaire Dave Davis. We’ll be self-releasing the end result as a part of the Wussy Cannon series.

Then it’s a pair of shows with our friends The Sundresses. First we’re hitting the Green Lantern in Lexington on December 5, and then it’s back to the Tavern in Cincinnati on December 26. Hope to see you there! Lots more news comin. Keep your ears peeled.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Tour |
wussy vinyl update!
November 17th, 2009

KBR008coverfinalThe Green Belt (2nd of The Belt Series)/ Wussy & The Fervor
Karate Body Records
Longtime pals and tourmates Wussy and The Fervor cut some of their most earnest, blistering rock material yet for this, the second installment in the Belt Series. A true, bare-knuckled statement. Pressed on limited edition green vinyl, and supplies are already running low. It’s available online from Karate Body or you can also pick it up at Shake It Records,  earXtacy, and other fine independent record retailers. Limited to 500 copies, these will be on wax only, no digital. Keep an eye out for a Wussy / Fervor tour in early 2010.

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Dangerous Highway Series / Wussy, Greg Dulli, Drive By Truckers, Heartless Bastards and more..
Shake It Records
We just finished our next single which will be part of Shake It’s “Dangerous Highway: A Tribute To The Songs of Eddie Hinton” series. Ours in gonna come out in Jan or early Feb of 2010 –  but in the meantime, if ya want you can grab the first two 7″s. Vol. 1 is from Greg Dulli (he does “Cover Me” & “Hard Luck Guy”), Vol. 2 features Drive-By Truckers covering “Everybody Needs Love” & “Where’s Eddie”. You can order then online at shakeitrecords.com. For the Wussy single, we are covering two Eddie Hinton / Donnie Fritts songs: ”Breakfast In Bed”  and ”300 Pounds of Hongry”. Read more about the Hinton series from CityBeat and Blurt.

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Posted in Album Releases, Band Updates, Feature |
wussy nominated for four cea awards!
October 20th, 2009

20091030-NSTwebimage_72Thanks to CityBeat for nominating us for four Cincinnati Entertainment Awards! Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Musical Ambassador for the City, and Best Alternative/Indie.
You can vote on some of those awards here.

Don’t forget to come see us, along with fellow nominees The Seedy Seeds, for our Halloween Eve show on Friday Oct 30 at the Northside Tavern (Cincinnati). Each band will be playing two sets, and there is talk of a final showdown at the end where they face off together on stage. Guess we’ll have to see what happens.

More CEA Info
Winners of the “big three” categories (Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year) are chosen by a panel of local music experts. Awards will be handed out Nov. 22 at the Madison Theater.

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Posted in Band Updates, Tour |
happiness bleeds: npr song of the day
October 2nd, 2009

midpoint2NPR Song of the Day 10/01/09
Wussy: Portraits Of Unlikely ‘Happiness’
by Christian Hoard

October 1, 2009 – The Cincinnati band Wussy’s self-titled third album is a song cycle about a fictional couple, written by a real one: Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver, who don’t likely suffer the same troubles as their counterparts. On Wussy, the two take snapshots of infidelity, seething anger and other problems, replete with everyday details and rough-hewn melodies that are catchier than they initially appear. It’s one of the best indie-rock albums of the year.

link to article

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Posted in Downloads, Feature, Press, Self-Titled |
citybeat midpoint recap
October 2nd, 2009

midpointThanks to all of you who came out for our Midpoint show. It was our best yet! This weekend we’ll be back downtown performing at Popopolis on Fountain Square.

Photos
Photo Gallery 1 (Michael Kearns)
Photo Gallery 2

Recap
CityBeat’s Brian Baker reviewed the show:
From there, it was time to head for my final destination of the evening: upstairs at Know Theatre for Wussy and Sarah Borges & the Broken Singles. The rain had let up slightly but was still falling steadily, so any drying that had taken place at The Subway was undone within a couple of blocks. By the time I got to Know, Wussy had just gotten underway and the place was jammed like I-75 after an eight-car pile-up…

Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Photos, Press, Tour |
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