Wussy

Wussy
Cleaver, Walker, Klug, Messerly (left to right)
Background information
Origin	Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Genres	Indie rock Folk rock Alternative rock Country rock
Years active	(2001–present)
Labels	Shake It Records Damnably
Associated acts	Messerly and Ewing The Magic Words Ass Ponys
Website	wussy.org
Members	Chuck Cleaver, guitars & vocals Lisa Walker, guitars & vocals Mark Messerly, bass Joe Klug, drums John Erhardt, pedal steel
Past members	Dawn Burman

Wussy is an American five-piece indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, formed in 2001. They band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), John Erhardt (pedal steel), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". They have released six albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles. The group has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone,Robert Christgau,Chicago, and SPIN.

Wussy formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2001 while Chuck Cleaver had just released the last album with his previous group, Ass Ponys. He met Lisa Walker and asked her to perform with him in at a local awards show in Cincinnati in 2001. Following the performance the duo decided to form a band together. Walker is originally from Muncie, Indiana,who attended Cedarville University and has worked in marketing. They were joined by Messerly on bass and Dawn Burman on drums in 2002. Burman had not yet mastered the instrument but joined as "I loved their sound and wanted to be part of it". Cleaver finalised his previous band with a compilation in 2005 leaving him to concentrate on Wussy. They made their recording debut in 2005 with the album Funeral Dress on Shake it Records, the label of a local record store of the same name. The record was produced by John Curley at his Ultrasuede Studios, where the band would continue to record future albums. While making the album all four band members suffered some personal hardship that inspired much of the 2007 record Left for Dead. Contrary to other releases it relied heavily on Walker's writing, and was described by Spin as doing "relationship songs right". It was followed by a self-titled album in 2009. The same year drummer Burman left and was replaced by Joe Klug. In late 2010, the band recorded an acoustic version of their debut as Funeral Dress II live at Ultrasuede that was released for Record Store Day 2011.