With a sound that expands beyond any genre-defining bubble, SUSTO comes to Richmond Music Hall this Saturday with Indianola for a night full of buttery vocals, introspective lyricism, experimental synth and guileless folk.
SUSTO, a recording project developed in 2013 by Justin Osborne in the midst of the Cuban landscape, has repainted the idea of alternatively country, Americana folk music. Osborne, within his songs, explores the perspectives behind the joys and pains that are inherent in connection, loss and transience. SUSTO’s sound is identifiable through elements that embody a resounding triumph blossoming from the ashes of religious abandonment, familial disconnect and a wandering loss; all of which are present in his most recent 2019 album, Ever Since I Lost My Mind. Being his third, this label debut album integrates experimental synth with Osborne’s mellow vocals and a sway of Latin-imbued arrangements.
Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, Osborne has been playing music for nearly his whole life. At 14 years old, he wrote his first songs with his grandfather’s old guitar and eventual made his way to Cuba to study abroad. It was the lively culture and the impassioned music that reignited his love for creation. Taking advantage of the full catharsis that comes with his songwriting, Osborne embellishes his music with lyrical narratives brimming with reflective journeying. He comes to the music scene with rearranged ideas on open lyrics that represent his personal transition from a place of predisposed assurance to one of thrilling uncertainty.
To fully complete the band for SUSTO, Osborne will be joined by a live band consisting of Marshall Hudson (drums, harmonica), Dries Vandenberg (lead guitars, vocals), Jordan Hicks (bass) and Steven Walker (keys).
Indianola, comprised of Owen Beverly, will demonstrate a performance that extends beyond sonic expectations, representing a gradient of binary oppositions. Beverly’s Indianola will combine what is modern with what is retro, bleak with what is optimistic, and carefree with what is apocalyptic. The musical experiment blends a range of both diverse genres and eras to create a collage of varying sounds. Check out both unique performances this Saturday at Richmond Music Hall for a night of velvet-voiced performers and garage/folk rock mixes.
Words by Anna Menendez
