Finishing off our Artist Series: the SOUND, the WORDS, the VOICE is Tennessee native Michael Cusack with the VOICE.
The VOICE
Photos provided by Cusack.
Picture this: it's midnight at Melody Mountain Ranch. There's a crackling fire & a light Autumn breeze. Around 20 old geysers with whispy grays & inspired eyes surround a song circle, but only one artist has guitar skills. He's being looked at like the last dollar on a Saturday night, pressure rising. Then Michael Cusack opens his mouth & let's out the most nostalgic, soulful voice you've ever heard come out of a young boy. The sound of the past, the feeling of a lost generation released from a 20 year old (at the time).
It was Keith Sykes Songwriter Weekend 2024 & some Tennessee kid drove all the way to Texas with a guitar, his car, & no plans other than to learn from the best. He was the youngest to grace to Songwriter stage that weekend, along with the likes of Rodney Crowell, Shawn Camp, Tony Arata & more. With a momentary Arkansas raising, Cusack cut his teeth in Memphis where he met Sykes-- a highly decorated & respected songwriter extraordinaire.
"[Sykes] came to one of my shows to hear me play," said Cusack. "I told him I'd like to hold onto his coattails & follow him around, because I want to learn all I can. He obliged."
Sykes' trained ear shirley heard Cusack's vocals & knew there was something special in the way myself & many others have. Cusack has a tonality that rivals the greats of the 1950s. He's somewhere between the tenor range of Bob Wills & the goofy grinning show house Jerry Lee Lewis. He's like the modern day representation of Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" while having the calm & understanding aura of John Prine. His vibrato is so authentic & clean in a way that can't be taught, it only just is.
Cusack released his self-titled debut EP in March 2025 with 5 beautifully written original songs & a front porch feel. Decorated musicians aided in the making like Wyly Bigger (piano/wurlitzer/background vocals), Eric Lewis (dobro/background vocals), Shawn Zorn (drums/background vocals), Andy Ratliff (mandolin/background vocals), & Mark Edgar Stuart (bass/background vocals); featuring Bailey Bigger vocally on "Tornado Season."
"My favorite song on the EP would have to be 'Tornado Season,'" said Cusack. "This is one of the only songs of mine that is totally autobiographical. On March 31st, 2023, I was in a tornado that crossed over the Mississippi River into Tipton County. This was one of the only times in life where I thought I was really done for. After the skies had cleared, we were all standing outside looking at the sky. I thought to myself, 'Man, maybe I should start pursuing this songwriter thing while I'm still alive."
Fan favorite is "Shirley," I'd like to think because it's just ridiculous. It's definitely a Prine inspired silliness about a woman you shirley can't stand (get my "typo" earlier in the article now?). Cusack hams up his vocals with a gruff over-it-attitude while holding down a Jimmy Rogers-esque, almost blues beat. It's a melting of genres, of time, of tonality.
"Shirley, I know / Shirley, I don't / Shirley, I will / Shirley, I won't / Shirley, won't you get in the car? Come on / We gotta get me some alcohol"
You can catch the truly time traveling tone of Cusack around Memphis & I'm sure again at Keith Sykes Songwriter Weekend on Melody Mountain Ranch. But until then, check out his EP on all streaming platforms. As always, please leave us a comment if you have a Michael Cusack story or thoughts on this article! We are always appreciative of sharing.
Thank you for making it through our 3 part Artist Series: the SOUND, the WORDS, the VOICE. I hope you found a new artist to consider or support in this series. Thank you for reading!