Artist description : A rebellion of a different sort..................Cheating Kay was born in the college town of Columbia, Missouri. The band is a bit of a rebel child, we confess, amongst the bar bands, metalheads and coffeehouse warblers that populate this staid Midwest city. But this is no mamby-pamby-stayin'-out-past-curfew rebel child. No, nothing that shopworn. This is a rebel child of quite the other kind. Cheating Kay combines four very different musicians: one music freak who sings jazz standards in the shower, one Brit-rock fanatic with a folkster's knack for storytelling, one earthquake-with-a-pulse drummer and one texture-crazy electro-head. The outcome is a quiet rebellion in itself: four musicians developing a sound best described as an emotive romance between burden and hope. With their feet in Missouri mud and their heads in sky- castles, Cheating Kay's Tom Mueller (vocals and guitar), Curt Cuscino (guitar and programming), Mark Lomas (drums) and Sarah Mueller (vocals and keyboard) are surprising audiences with the intensity and poignancy of their layered music. In an industry of TRL-deep authenticity, packaged rebellion and for-sale sincerity, this rebel child is the real thing.

Music Style an emotive romance between burden and hope

Musical Influences starflyer 59, billie holiday, nina simone, the deftones, U2, radiohead, mogwai, ours, doves, miles davis, massive attack, tricky, herbie hancock

Similar Artists Velvet Underground, Radiohead, Mogwai, Travis, Over the Rhine, Starflyer 59, the Flaming Lips, doves, Things in Herds, Velvet Teen, 10,000 Maniacs, Lush, Rainer Maria

Artist History And then there was light... Tom Mueller and Sarah Magill Mueller had been performing acoustic music together for a few years and both were wanting to advance their sound. Curt Cuscino had been busy playing in the Kansas City-based band sixty*below and the successful ambient trip-hop duo Paragon Null. What started as a songwriting session between Tom and Curt morphed into a full-fledged musical venture when Sarah joined in, and the trio realized their diverse styles complemented each other. Tom's (electric/acoustic guitar, lead and background vocals) greatest concern is that the music rocks. The master of the gradual crescendo, his influences include U2, Radiohead and numerous blues acts. Curt (electric/acoustic guitar, sampler, and other textures) is the one with the most road experience. He knows what will work and what won't. His influences range from Massive Attack to Starflyer 59 and the Deftones to Miles Davis. Sarah (keyboard, lead and background vocals) is always on lyric patrol, editing and revising on the fly. At the moment, she's inspired by Tori Amos, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Cheating Kay's first show was at the Chez Chandelle coffeehouse. In what they thought was going to be a quiet evening to try out their new material, fans from their previous separate performances came out in full force. The Chez's manager started turning people away at the door because of the fire code before the band had finished its first number. In addition to its work as a trio, the band has also performed with drummer Marc Krejci, who joined them for Cheating Kay's set at Rhea Fair in May. Cheating Kay drew the largest crowd of any of the local bands, bringing more than 100 people to an out-of-the way classroom auditorium after the festival was rained out of its outdoor venue. After spending the fall of 2001 honing their skills in bars and clubs, Cheating Kay made like squirrels and holed up for the winter. The forthcoming debut album, "concept", is the result of those cold months -- and one fevered week at Chapman Recording Studios in Kansas City. The album delivers haunting textures, passionate delivery and a convicting sense of purpose. April 2002 also began drummer Mark Lomas' permanent relationship with Cheating Kay. Mark, Curt's partner-in-crime on the Paragon Null projects, signed on indefinitely to provide earthquake-with-a-pulse percussion madness for concept. After several practices, the band decided they could not live another day without him, so they got down on their collective knee and begged him to stay. Mark said yes. Next up on the agenda, the band will be relocating to Kansas City in the near future, where they will continue to bring their unique brand of the rock. Cheating Kay: three of Columbia's best-kept secrets combine to bring you an emotive romance between burden and hope.

Group Members Tom Mueller, Curt Cuscino, Sarah Mueller, & Mark Lomas

Instruments guitar, piano, keyboard, sampler, turntable, vinyl, sequencer, textures, minds

Albums concept (released April 2002)

Press Reviews *****Voted "Best Band in Columbia" - VOX Magazine (Columbia, MO) - February 2002 Issue *****"Cheating Kay have brought forth an album that bleeds pure songwriting finesse...this band knows no wrong" - G. Cataline, Editor, MUEN Magazine *****"Some of the best songs we've heard in sometime" - Chuck Chapman, Owner/Producer, Chapman Recording (Kansas City, MO) *****"Few bands ever get to the point where Cheating Kay is starting from" - Mark Fisher, Editor, 1340Mag.com *****"Cheating Kay gives a time of unmoving lyrics and repetitive chords a refreshing change by dynamically creating a beautiful team of soulful melodies" - Action Attack Helicopter *****"We were blown away..." - Playback St. Louis Magazine

Location Kansas City, MO - USA

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