Curio is a hell-raisin’ and soul-shakin’ rock n’ roll band from Chicago, IL. Their music is steeped in southern gothic lore by way of the Midwest. Heavily influenced by the growl of Chicago blues, the low-down and dirty swamp rock of Louisiana and the twang of Tennessee country, Curio conjures a sound that has as many influences as there are miles on I-55 from The Windy City to The Big Easy. Chris Pluska and his band of wayward gamblers have been playing to crowds at juke joints, dives and clubs since 2009. Curio’s live show has the fervent energy of a backwoods revival and the no-holds-barred attitude of a bar brawl. Their records are love letters to the bastards, brawlers, vagabonds, and believers who’ve shaped American folklore for better or for worse. Curio’s tales have been described as ‘Midwest murder ballads’ that depict the timeless narrative of wrong-doing and temptation.

The idea that ‘rock is dead’ is almost as old as the genre itself. It might have been a disenchanted music critic who said that or maybe it’s a failing industry that lacks the vision needed to push the genre forward that’s to blame. However, rock music, good rock music, is most certainly alive and well. Opium Symphony counts themselves among a growing population of independent rock bands who are not afraid to employ a little production on their recordings, love big hooks and big drums and wear their “rock” like a gold sheriff’s badge on their chests. They have shared the stage with household names such as Gin Blossoms, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and Paul Crook (Anthrax, Meatloaf, Sebastian Bach).