Biography
Based in New York, Curse sets itself apart from the numerous goth rock acts of the 1990s and 2000s that leaned heavily on electronica by pursuing a decidedly organic path heavy on guitars and light on programming. Their music conveys the presence of an actual working band rather than a studio construct, with tracks that feel performed live instead of sequenced. The group also leans more toward roots-oriented and grounded textures than the typical high-tech goth ensembles. While Curse delivers the expected haunting melodies and darkly romantic lyrics, the New York outfit further incorporates elements drawn from blues-rock, folk-rock, and jazz. Their influences extend beyond foundational goth acts such as Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy to encompass the Doors, Alice Cooper, the Velvet Underground, and Siouxsie & the Banshees. On their folk-leaning material, the band occasionally suggests an improbable fusion of goth and the Indigo Girls.
Curse should not be mistaken for the unrelated punk outfit also called the Curse, which issued the Teenage Meat album on Other People's Music in 1997; the goth rockers operate simply under the name Curse. They likewise bear no connection to the artists responsible for the Downright EP, released on the Bipolar label in 2000.
Lead singer Mikaela Pearson and drummer Robert Lacyk previously played in Caledonia, a New York goth group that maintained a modest cult following within the city during the late 1990s despite limited wider recognition. Caledonia released the album Spires in 1998 before disbanding the next year. In 2000 Pearson and Lacyk formed Curse by teaming with bassist Theodora Michaels, known as Thea, and her husband, guitarist Kevin Michaels. Theodora had previously performed with the New York bands Ultraviolet and Shrieking Violets, while Kevin had fronted the Kevin Michaels Band. Pearson’s earlier résumé also included stints in Invisible Cities and Spiderlily.
In 2001 the group attracted the interest of producer and engineer Wharton Tiers, whose past credits include work with Helmet, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Biohazard, Nick Cave, the Swans, Shudder to Think, and Ciccone Youth. Tiers subsequently produced Curse’s self-titled debut, issued late in 2002 on the band’s own Cursory Rhymes imprint. Around the same period Curse released a single featuring the Doors-influenced track “Graveyard Shuffle” alongside a new version of David Amram’s theme from the 1959 film Pull My Daisy. The then-71-year-old Amram contributed acoustic piano and French horn to the remake and supplied the single’s liner notes.
Curse should not be mistaken for the unrelated punk outfit also called the Curse, which issued the Teenage Meat album on Other People's Music in 1997; the goth rockers operate simply under the name Curse. They likewise bear no connection to the artists responsible for the Downright EP, released on the Bipolar label in 2000.
Lead singer Mikaela Pearson and drummer Robert Lacyk previously played in Caledonia, a New York goth group that maintained a modest cult following within the city during the late 1990s despite limited wider recognition. Caledonia released the album Spires in 1998 before disbanding the next year. In 2000 Pearson and Lacyk formed Curse by teaming with bassist Theodora Michaels, known as Thea, and her husband, guitarist Kevin Michaels. Theodora had previously performed with the New York bands Ultraviolet and Shrieking Violets, while Kevin had fronted the Kevin Michaels Band. Pearson’s earlier résumé also included stints in Invisible Cities and Spiderlily.
In 2001 the group attracted the interest of producer and engineer Wharton Tiers, whose past credits include work with Helmet, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Biohazard, Nick Cave, the Swans, Shudder to Think, and Ciccone Youth. Tiers subsequently produced Curse’s self-titled debut, issued late in 2002 on the band’s own Cursory Rhymes imprint. Around the same period Curse released a single featuring the Doors-influenced track “Graveyard Shuffle” alongside a new version of David Amram’s theme from the 1959 film Pull My Daisy. The then-71-year-old Amram contributed acoustic piano and French horn to the remake and supplied the single’s liner notes.
Albums