Joel Cusumano Captures Both the Head and the Heart With His Emotive Power Pop
Photo Credit: Corey Poluk
In the annals of fist-pumping, kick-ass punk music, I’m not sure how often Ancient Greek mythology or Old Testament scripture has been used as a rallying cry for manic, call-to-arms energy.
But I’ll be goddamned if I’m not ready to sprint up a flight of stairs after hearing Joel Cusumano urgently belt out songs covering those impenetrable topics. A soulful power-pop autodidactic, Cusumano has the rare ability to make you want to dance while simultaneously holding an encyclopedia.
On his debut full-length album, last year’s “Waxworld,” Cusumano’s covers most of the history of Western Civilization, deftly opining on everything from Mongol conquests to contemporary anatomical art, becoming the first songwriter to my knowledge to rhyme “Your fetial heralder” with “prostrated at my altar.” It is all very heady stuff, but the album is also fun as hell, full of big hooks, catchy choruses and Cusumano’s urgent, plaintive vocals.
“It’s always been my understanding that pop music needs to have this emotional core,” said Cusumano. “It’s ultimately an emotional art form, and if I’m not doing something that doesn’t want to make you stand up and jump around a bit, I’m probably not doing my job. The goal, though, is to try and find an interesting way to get a quote in there or a reference included that really makes you stop and think for a second as well.”
It goes without saying that “Waxworld,” and Cusumano’s subsequent follow-up EP, “Appendix” (which is set to be released on September 11), certainly make listeners stop and ponder, but it won’t be enough to keep them from dancing. Next Friday, Cusumano and his band–Brett Eastman on drums, Ella Keilt on guitar/backing vocals, Owen Kelley on bass/backing vocals, and Julie Barwick on keyboards–will bring that exhilarating combination to Spats, where he will kick off Dandy Fest, a three-day gathering featuring artists from the local label Dandy Boy Records. Cusumano will headline Friday night, with support from the Goods, Motorcycle and Smile Too Much.
Cusumano has been a fixture of the Bay Area music scene for years, playing in such outfits as Talkies, Body Double and most recently, Sob Stories, among many others. Despite that prolific background, “Waxworld” was his first album released under his own name and the first to feature tracks exclusively penned by him alone.
It wasn’t until after the pandemic, when Sob Stories essentially ran its course, that Cusumano decided to record and release music under his own name (a move encouraged by Dandy Boy head Bobby Martinez, who released “Waxworld” on October 24, 2025.)
“Even though Sob Stories was essentially a solo vehicle by the end, I was masked by the band name,” said Cusumano. “It was a way of protecting myself. It took a little while, but I’ve actually really embraced being solo now. I have more of a humble confidence at this point.”
It takes a certain amount of confidence to cover the ambitious breadth of topics traversed in “Waxworld” and “Appendix.” A staggeringly intelligent and intentional songwriter, Cusumano slips in references to ancient Greek and Roman histories in the same seamless manners as he does 80s B-movies. Trying to track down the various literary allusions embedded in his music would be a daunting task (although his lyric sheet provides an incredibly helpful tutorial.)
Cusumano is particularly interested in exploring the history and arcana of religion. While he grew up in a typical Catholic household, Cusumano is no longer actively practicing, but he is still endlessly fascinated with Biblical literature. His songs are laced with references to both the Old and New Testaments, but the citations are updated and adopted to resonate with modern thought.
“By the time I was in high school and listening to punk rock and watching Stanley Kubrick, I basically stopped believing in Catholicism,” said Cusumano. “But there is always something that remains—I’ve absorbed these things into me. Ambiently, religion just dominates me and I will always be curious about the mysteries of Catholicism. As I get older, I see the wisdoms of certain religious beliefs, especially paired against the uncertainty of my own beliefs. I’m not saying I’m enlightened now or anything, but I’m certainly more open to exploring different religions at this point.”
With such a cerebral, bookish approach to music, one could forgive Cusumano for writing prog-rock treatises on life’s esoterica. But his songs are always grounded in the personal. For every mention of Corinthians, there is a matching glimpse into a relationship breaking down, or a modern crisis being confronted. Subtly, Cusumano wrote a breakup record of sorts in “Waxworld,” if one is committed enough to dig below the surface.
Take, for example, the song “Nineveh,” a standout track from “Waxworld.” Tucked within descriptions of ancient Mesopotamian cities and the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale, is this devastating couplet—“And you said/I want this And you said/I'm sorry/And you said I'm making up my mind.”
“I found myself writing a lot of heartbreak songs, just because that’s what I was experiencing at the time,” said Cusumano. “But if you’re going to go that route, you need to add some extra texture there beside the specifics of, ‘well, I got dumped.’ I try to elevate the songs a little bit to make them move universal while staying true to the emotion.”
Breakup songs enveloped in ancient Biblical quotations could be a real bummer of a listen, but, again, holy shit, both “Appendix” and “Waxworld” are rip-roaring good times. Appropriating Cheap Trick, Squeeze, Ted Leo and other power-pop/punk maestros, Cusumano’s songs have a euphoric, carnivalesque feel, full of 4/4 beats, meaty chords and anthemic synth moments.
It all makes for a truly unique live experience. When Cusumano plays, it is a feast that fully nourishes both the head and the heart.
Show Details:
Night One of Dandy Fest Featuring Joel Cusumano, The Goods, Motorcycle and Smile Too Much
Where: Spat’s in Berkeley
When: 8 p.m., Friday, September 11
Tickets: $10 at the door