The Cringe hops on Motley Crue's 'Final Tour'

• Courtesy the Cringe

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John Cusimano and his legion of brigands operating as New York City rock ’n’ roll outfit [http://thecringe.com/|the Cringe] have been steadily chipping away at the stone for the last decade and their forefathers have taken note. The band is back out on the road supporting Mötley Crüe on their “Final Tour” for a second stint this summer. The band has an ace up their sleeve in the form of a newly completed album, Blind Spot, set to drop after the tour wraps up. Cusimano spoke with CL about working on the album with modern rock radio super-producer Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Bullet For My Valentine). For such a thick sound, Cusimano was surprised by “not so much what he put in, but what he took out. I had to let him cut up my babies. But [Gilmore really showed us that most of your favorite songs have way less going on in them than you think.”

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The Cringe is filled-out by lead guitarist James Rotondi (Air, Mr. Bungle), bassist Jonny Blaze (Crash Moderns), and drummer Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen), but it is John Cusimano’s tightly crafted songs that lie at the heart of the band’s sound. Though he is a proficient pianist, he enjoys writing on guitar because of the limitations it places on him, and because “it’s easy to jump around on stage.” Cusimano started the band in high school and named it the Cringe with the intent of “making music that would make the audience cringe.”

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While they may have started as cringe-worthy, through the years Cusimano has learned to pack all the essentials into a three-minute rock song — from aggressive riffs to tightly packed hooks. But perhaps where the band shines brightest is live, and Mötley fans will be left cringing at all stops on this “Final Tour.”

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[http://clatl.com/atlanta/motley-crue-and-alice-cooper/Event?oid=14392951|The Cringe open for Mötley Crüe's "Final Tour: All Bad Things Must Come To An End” with Alice Cooper at Philips Arena. Sun, Aug 30. 7 p.m.]