Vinnie the Intern Blog #8: Cursive at Wicker Park Fest

I stopped by the Wicker Park Fest on Saturday to see Omaha's Cursive, who have been touring in support of their latest album, I AM GEMINI, released in February. It was a nice feeling to finally to add them to my "seen it" list. I remember trying to see The Good Life (Tim Kasher's side project) at the Do-Division Street Fest two years ago, but that ended in failure and I was not 21 yet for the 21+ Subterranean show on January 1st 2011. Needless to say, I was very satisfied with the show.

Photo courtesy of Matt Marten

In typical fashion of my back luck seeing Tim Kasher and company, my friend and I missed the blue-line, separating ourselves from the rest of our group. After being reunited, we proceeded to make our way to the front. After a slight altercation between our group and a group of moshers, Cursive got to the stage and opened abruptly with "The Martyr." Other than Tim's intermittent yelps acting as a transition between songs, he did not speak a considerable amount between songs, focusing mostly on playing through their set. The set featured a down-tempo version of "The Recluse" which fit the mood of the song very well and closed with a song many were equally shocked as delighted to hear, "Sink to the Beat."

The set was a great mixture of mostly Domestica and the Ugly Organ with side portions of The Burst and Bloom, Happy Hollow, Mama, I'm Swollen, and I AM GEMINI. The band (Matt Maginn (bass), Ted Stevens (guitar, backing vocals), Cully Symington (drums), and Patrick Newberry (multi-instrumentalist)) sounded amazing. Mostly notable, they were precisely solid rhythmically despite many drawn out pauses by somewhat vocally unpredictable singer/guitarist Tim Kasher. Cursive will be touring with Minus the Bear starting this September. 

Any fans of Bear vs. Shark, Braid, Cymbals Eat Guitars, or The Dismemberment Plan should definitely check out Cursive if given the opportunity.

Photo courtesy of Keith Solberg

The Setlist:

The Martyr 

Driftwood: A Fairy Tale

The Cat and Mouse

From the Hips 

The Radiator Hums

Wowowow

Retreat!

The Recluse

I Couldn't Love You

Sierra

Dorothy at Forty

Making Friends and Acquaintances

A Gentleman Caller

This House Alive

Art is Hard

Sink to the Beat