Saddle Creek Records is the kind of label every town wishes it had. It's small, the bands have unlimited freedom to put out whatever they want, and the 12 signed acts have a devoted following in the area.
Before 1993, Saddle Creek Records was just an idea in Rob Nansel's head. Today, the Omaha, Neb.-based indie-rock label [which only signs "people they know" according to Nansel on the Saddle Creek Web site] has taken Nebraska's thriving local scene to a new level and taken rockers Cursive along for the ride.
It's obvious that the label and Omaha take a certain pride in their acts, even if we don't often see them in the music industry these days. But with bands like Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive, what's there not to be proud of?
Cursive, which was formed in 1995 with founding members Tim Kasher [vocals, guitar], Matt Maginn [bass, vocals], Clint Schnase [drums] and Steve Pedersen [guitar and vocals], has had its share of ups and downs, but always manage to land on their feet.
In 1998, three years after the band's creation, came its demise. Pedersen had been accepted to Duke University to study law and it was an opportunity he wouldn't pass up.
Shortly after, Cursive front man Kasher decided to call it quits as well, heading to Portland, Ore. to pursue what he thought would be a greater musical endeavor. After failing there, he headed back to Omaha to rekindle what was once a thriving, young band.
What Cursive would do without Pedersen was yet to be determined. Little did they know, the final piece to their puzzle was right under their noses.
In August of 2002, Ted Stevens, longtime friend of the band, and member of Lullaby for the Working Class, was recruited. Within the year, Domestica, Cursive's third full-length release, was recorded and the guys had proved that their comeback was a success.
"The band came to grips when [Pedersen moved to North Carolina]," Stevens says. "But when Tim came back into town, he forced the issue of reuniting. I had always wanted the opportunity to play with Cursive, if the position opened someday. It was a long time in the works, but it happened.
"Even when I had my other thing going [Lullaby for the Working Class], the idea of joining a big rock band like Cursive was pretty fulfilling."
When Pedersen left, there were no hard feelings. The guys had been friends since high school and had been playing together all along the way.
"He's a professional lawyer now, and he's got a new band. He can't tour now though - he understands his limitations," Stevens says.
With the addition of Stevens, and the release of Cursive's most successful album thus far, the band was headed nowhere but up. The idea now was to expand their sound and grow.
This is where Cursive's fifth, and only female member, Gretta Cohn comes into the picture. Cohn, a cellist, had recorded with Cursive on their 2001 release Burst and Bloom, a five song EP, and soon after the guys invited her to stay permanently.
"Gretta was Tim's idea," Stevens says. "I think it came from a want to stretch out in some manner. Her abilities are pretty incredible. I don't think the idea of a cellist is groundbreaking, but our instrumentation is unique. As far as writing, the songs took a change when we had to write the cello in as a central element. As far as riffing goes, the potential for cheesy glam is there."
The Ugly Organ, released last month, is Cursive's first full album with Cohn as part of the clan. But before it was completed, things, again, took a turn for the worse.
With the music already laid down for their new album, the five members on tour and headed to Japan that summer, things looked very promising. "Looked" being the operative word.
"There were no vocals laid down yet on The Ugly Organ when we were on tour to the West Coast. I think the altitude, the wear on his body and timing were all factors, but Tim's lung collapsed," Stevens says.
This wasn't the first time Kasher had problems with his lungs, but this time, the timing couldn't have been worse. Just a couple of days into their tour, Kasher was stuck in Salt Lake City, bed-ridden.
"He spent three or four weeks in recovery, then went right back to work in the studio. It was a long hard process for him, but everything turned out OK," Stevens says.
Over the next few months, Cursive will be on their Ugly Organ tour and hopefully won't run into any more dilemmas.
Either way, you can't stay down for too long when you have the whole state of Nebraska cheering you on.
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Reach the reporter at erika.wurst@asu.edu.
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