Cursed (band)
| Cursed | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Canada |
| Genres | Crust punk, sludge metal |
| Years active | 2001–2008 |
| Labels | Deathwish Inc., Goodfellow Records, Reflections Records, Hex, High Anxiety |
| Associated acts | The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead, Haymaker, Left for Dead, Acrid, Ruination, The Black Hand, Countdown to Oblivion, At the Mercy of Inspiration, Shallow North Dakota, Crux of Aux, Quest for Fire, Burning Love, Mature Situations |
| Website |
www |
Cursed was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in 2001 and dissolved in 2008. It featured members of various other Canadian DIY bands spanning from the early 1990s to the present, such as Haymaker, Left for Dead, The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead, Acrid, Ruination, The Black Hand, Countdown to Oblivion, At the Mercy of Inspiration, Shallow North Dakota, Crux of Aux, Quest for Fire and Burning Love.
History, reputation and trademarks
Formed in 2001 a year after the break-up of The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead (three members' previous band), the founding lineup was originally split between different parts of Quebec and Ontario, Canada, but (following Moumneh's sudden move home to Lebanon), shifted to Toronto and Hamilton. Known for their trademark nihilistic and dystopian lyrical themes, stark classic horror imagery and loud, abrasive live shows, the band have toured worldwide and released records on Boston's Deathwish Inc, Ontario's Goodfellow Records, Syracuse's Hex Records and Providence's Trash Art Label. Cursed's debut I made immediate impact in their scene and garnered wide cult support.[1] It was followed up with Cursed II, and the picture-disc EP Blackout At Sunrise in between, in the same year that also saw a release of a 180gr vinyl only gatefold reissue of 2003's "I" on the Providence RI label Trash Art. In 2007 they finished up their third LP, "III: Architects of Troubled Sleep", which was released in 2008 through Goodfellow Records in North America, Howling Bull in Japan and in Europe through Dutch label Reflections. "III" was produced at Toronto's Hallamusic studio, mixed by long-time friend and collaborator Donny Cooper, and mastered by Alan Douches at WestWestSide (NJ), with cover art by Baroness' John Dyer Baizley. For its release, as opposed to the international touring they had come to spend a lot of time doing, the band played six weekends of strictly Southern Ontario DIY shows in as many houses, basements, record stores, bedrooms and Anarchist/DIY spaces as possible. The official Toronto release show was at a sold out Lee's Palace, with friends 50Watthead, Career Suicide and Living Darkness.
Breakup
On May 22, 2008, singer Chris Colohan announced on the band's blog that the band had been robbed on the last morning of their European tour, losing their passports, all of their money and tour expenses in the night, from within a purportedly secure building in a German squat. The band had reportedly gone their separate ways and were finished. Colohan described the robbery from within their own community as a "bullet in the head" for the band.[2] For certain members, the band's hectic final show at Bitterzoet in Amsterdam would be the last they would ever see each other.
Member Activity Post-Cursed
- Mike Maxymuik subsequently joined the band Quest for Fire and was a touring drummer for Pink Mountaintops.
- Dan Dunham continued to play in Crux of Aux, and more recently in the bands Skull and Limitoids.
- Chris Colohan continues to tour and play in Burning Love and Mature Situations, and run the vinyl-only High Anxiety label. Colohan, as stated in an interview, has written several unreleased books, Other Peoples' Girlfriends (2002) and Nine Lives (2011). He does photography and music related graphic design for his own and friends' bands on the side of his musical endeavors,[3] and he works on the production end of live music in Toronto as one of several jobs. In 2016 he formed a new straight edge vegan hardcore band called Sect composed of Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy, Vegan Reich, Racetraitor) on drums, James Chang (Catharsis,Undying) and Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance) on guitar, and Ian Edwards (Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance) on bass.
- Radwan Moumneh went on to open Hotel 2 Tango recording studio in Montreal's Mile End with partners from Godspeed You Black Emperor and Constellation Records. He still works as a producer, engineer and co-owner of the studio, teaches production technique and is involved in various film and installation art projects, as well as his own ongoing performance art project Jerusalem In My Heart.
Posthumous Releases
Colohan released the band's final UK radio session (their last recording) as a 7" EP on High Anxiety. Deathwish Inc is currently in the process of reissuing Cursed I on LP. There has long been word of a comprehensive box set covering all 3 LPs, all 3 EPs plus the demo and unreleased songs, which was caught up in copyright ownership issues and has remained a mystery since. Also, there may yet be a Cursed DVD mainly of the footage of the final tour (and the disintegration and last moments of the band), as well as various interviews and live videos from 2001-2008.
Final Members
- Chris Colohan TM - vocals
- Christian McMaster - guitar
- Dangerous Dan Dunham - bass
- Mike "The Mauler" Maxymuik - drums
Former members
- Radwan Moumneh : bass & guitar
- Tom "Dot Com" Piraino: bass
Discography
Albums
- I - 2003, Deathwish Inc.
- II - 2005, Goodfellow Records
- III: Architects of Troubled Sleep - 2008, Goodfellow Records
EPs\Demos
- Cursed Demo Recording- 2002, Self-Released,
- Hell Comes Home EP- 2004, Hex Records,
- Blackout At Sunrise EP- 2007, Goodfellow Records
- The Last Session EP- 2010, High Anxiety.
Reissues
- Cursed I Reissue- 2007, Trash Art
Music videos
- Fatalist (2006)