John Cusimano of The Cringe
(Q)-Please state, your name, date of birth and Place of birth.
John Cusimano- John Cusimano, 8/19/67, Huntington, Long Island, New York.
(Q)-Why do you believe radio stations and radio listeners have begun to embrace the current single,”Burn”?
John Cusimano-We chose,”Burn”,as the lead single because of all the tracks on our record,”Scratch the Surface”,”Burn” is probably the one with the most immediate radio friendly hook. What I think people are responding to on “Burn” and hopefully the entire record,is that our music is rock music being played by a rock band. By that I mean we sound like a BAND.Four guys playing in a club,or a bar,or a garage. We didn’t want the songs to have that overproduced,digital quality, that is prevalent in a lot of today’s alt rock. We don’t strive to keep up with the latest trends in music. And I think people find that refreshing.
(Q)-What is the songwriting process like for you?
John Cusimano-To me songwriting is one of the most challenging and rewarding things about music. My own process is as follows:I basically lock myself in a room with my guitar and a cheap tape recorder. I start playing the guitar,different riffs,different chords,different fingerings,whatever pops into my head,until something jumps out at me that sounds like it could be part of a song. That is the essence of the songwriting process. Some people call it their muse. It’s the moment when you know you’ve written something,even a small piece of something,but you know it’s pretty good. And you’re fairly certain you’re going to be able to build a song around it. So once I’ve got that first bit,I record it immediately before I move onto anything else,otherwise I risk having it vanish into the universe forever. Then I’ll revisit that part,refine it a little,start singing a vocal part over it,and start searching for the next piece of the song. Along the way I assemble these pieces into what will become the entire song,replacing or changing parts along the way. Eventually the vocal part will distill into a phrase that sounds right with that particular melody. I’ll build the lyrics around that phrase. Usually the lyric ends up being about something entirely different from what I initially intended, but that’s part of the fun for me. When I feel the song is ready,I’ll play it for some or all of the other guys in the band and I they’ll tell me if it’s “Cringeworthy”. At that point they’ll either give me a thumbs up or send me packing. If we all like the song,we’ll start playing and rehearsing and everyone in the band will bring their own flourishes and ideas to the song.
(Q)-Your current single,”Burn”, is inspired by your relationship with Rachael Ray, who is a very successful chef,entrepreneur,author and in her most high-profile role,a host on the cable television Food Network channel,of the popular programs,”30 Minute Meals”, as well as,”$40 a Day”. Would you please explain how Rachael influenced the song that you wrote?
John Cusimano-“Burn” is about my feelings toward Rachael. It’s not about her cooking ability! When Rachael is with me I “Burn” whether it’s with love or desire or friendship or just the weight of my feelings. When she’s not with me,which can be a lot because of our busy schedules,I “Burn” with the feeling of missing her. That’s what that song is about,having a feeling for someone that is beyond words.
(Q)-What are your feelings in regards to,being firmly within the center of a band,which perhaps is positioned for national,maybe even significant international,success and subsequent media attention? With the synergy of the hit single,your relationship to an individual who is already in the glare of the USA media spotlight and a promotional tour with ongoing work promoting the new disc/album “Scratch The Surface”,and more high-profile performances by The Cringe in the near future,there is perhaps,going to be,a great deal of attention to your music,your band,your life and your soon to be wife.
John Cusimano-Well when you put it that way,I’m pretty excited about it!
(Q)-How do you think you will handle and cope with all of the media the attention?
John Cusimano-Occasionally when you are doing a public appearance,or a gig,or a television show,the media attention is unavoidable,it’s part and parcel of the whole system. And occasionally you’ll meet a nice person on the street who tells you they love what you’re doing. All of those experiences have been positive and fun for Rachael and me. However,on a day to day basis, you don’t really focus on the spotlight. You are usually too busy dealing with the normal occurances and concerns that everyone has in their lives,whether it’s paying bills,hanging out with family and friends,cooking dinner,going to work,or whatever.
(Q)-Why has music played such an important role in your life?
John Cusimano-Music has always been my escape valve. No matter what was going on in my life,good or bad,music always had the ability to take me to another place,or make me feel better about the place I am in. Unlike TV or reading or going to the movies,music can be shared and part of a collective experience,or it can be a solitary thing. It has the ability to immediately change the mood at a party,even if it is only being played in the background. It has the ability to whip a crowd into a frenzy at a gig. And,it has the ability to touch someone personally whatever the setting.
(Q)-In your opinion, does the music on the disc/album,manage to capture the feel of a live show by the Cringe?
John Cusimano-Yes and no.It captures the sound and the crackle of a Cringe show,the record doesn’t sound like pre-programmed,digital,assembly line alt rock. It is the sound of four guys playing live music in a live room. We recorded as much of the record on tape as our engineer and budget would allow. We made sure to incorporate the sound of the room and used real amps, outboard effects,and vintage gear. We recorded in Jimi Hendrix’s old bedroom, in fact one of the engineers in the studio,this guy who had probably been working there for over thirty years and reminded me of (The character portrayed by)Dennis Hopper in (the 1969 movie),”Easy Rider”,was so excited that we were are a live band,playing music together and (recording music)tracking to tape, that he just cried out in the middle of a session:”It’s like 1975 all over again man! YEAH!” We even mastered the record on vinyl in addition to CD. It’s a beautiful package,clear vinyl with a gatefold and additional artwork. And to my ears,vinyl sounds better than a CD ever could. The part of the live show that the album can’t capture is the visual part,when The Cringe put on a show,we really put on a SHOW. We are very aware of the visual aspect of a rock show and the ebb and flow of the set. It’s almost like theater. We combine that with the unhinged power and punch of punk rock. We literally leap off the stage with energy. I spend a good part of the show reaching out to the crowd,jumping into the crowd,jumping into the air,throwing my guitar into the air,and collapsing onto the stage.
(Q)-Do you play the role of a reporter in your songwriting in that,you are in some cases, just writing what you see and observe in your daily walk of life?
John Cusimano-There are dark things that I write about that have nothing to do with me personally. But there are songs we’ve worked into our live set that will be on our upcoming record. Those new songs are even more personal and political in nature than the songs on “Scratch the Surface”?
(Q)-Having a background in law,does that help your band,The Cringe,when it comes to the all-important behind the scenes work and business decisions?
John Cusimano-Yes. And,it saves me a bundle on legal fees!
(Q)-To have a successful band, the relationships between the band members has to become more then a working relationship. The relationship in optimal scenarios oftentimes becomes akin to a family or in this case, perhaps a brotherhood. Is this the case with The Cringe?
John Cusimano-When you are in a touring band, you live with your co-workers. You sleep in the same hotel,van,or bus. You eat all your meals together,you do your job together,you drive for hours and hours and hours together,and you hang out and have fun together. Being in a band is like having extra siblings.
(Q)-In what way is that the case?
John Cusimano-You fight,you bicker,you scream,but at the end of the day you are proud of that relationship. And, when you are all on stage together, you can read each other’s minds and react to what the other guys are doing musically before they even do it.
(Q)-Why the name The Cringe? Who came up with the name?
John Cusimano-It started out almost as a joke.Back in high school,my best friend and I started a garage band,actually it was a basement band. It was real punk rock, loud, discordant, kind of funny, and not very good. We thought it was so bad it would make people cringe. The name The Cringe stuck with me.
(Q)-How did the instrumental interlude titled,”Song 13″,come about?
John Cusimano-It was just before we were going to start mixing “Scratch the Surface”, twelve tracks had been recorded and the only people left in the studio were the engineer,an assistant engineer,and me. I felt that we had twelve strong tracks,but that we needed a little something else to push the album over the top. I wanted the album to be a cohesive package,something that you could listen to from beginning to end and would take you on a journey, not just a collection of songs. I had written this little musical interlude that I had never played for the band and felt it would make an interesting transitional song. I also felt it would add a sense of variety and depth to the album and still pull it all together. I told Steve,the engineer, that I wanted to record this song but since we only had a half a day of studio time left we couldn’t corral the entire band. So instead,Steve recorded me playing all the parts myself,layering each instrument on top of the other. Steve came up with the name,”Song 13″, since it was the 13th song we recorded. Of course it ended up being the elventh track on the record.
(Q)-You seem rather adept at expressing the dark side of life. Why are the dark tones of music at times chosen to represent The Cringe?
John Cusimano-Musically,I’m more adept at expressing the intensity of emotion,whether high or low,than the middle ground. A lot of music,not only rock music,comes from either the highs of celebration,or the lows of frustration. Since rock and roll was initially an extension of the blues,it is sort of natural in rock that you sing about the darker things in life. So I end up singing about things that I find upsetting or angering or sad,whether on a personal level,or as something I’ve seen and reported on. Lyrics aside, I think the album has a nice balance of dark and not so dark tones. That being said,most of it is a loud album, with dirty guitars,and thundering bass,and pounding drums. The next album is going to be even more angry.After all, we are playing rock and roll.