Cursive

American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, formed by Tim Kasher, Matt Maginn, & Stephen Pedersen in the spring of 1995 as an endeavor to "give music a serious try", after parting ways with Casey Caniglia who played drums for previous band Slowdown Virginia. Clint Schnase, who previously played with Pedersen in Smashmouth joined the band on Drums. The band's name came from a passage in a book by V. S. Naipaul, in which the British were forcing subjugated Indians to learn how to write English in cursive penmanship, symbolic of a pointless exercise with no value, and Kasher compares this to the band forcing music as a discipline, taking it seriously.
In a result of Kasher's marriage and move to Portland, Oregon in 1998, the band broke up. However, Kasher's divorce only a year later in 1999 and return to Omaha prompted a reformation of the band. Pedersen had left Omaha to attend law school in North Carolina during the band's downtime, so Ted Stevens joined the band and filled Pedersen's previous role of Guitar and Backing Vocals. With a various ensemble of members over the years, both former and returning, Kasher, Maginn, and Stevens have been a long fronting core trio within the band's runtime.
Current Members:
Tim Kasher - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Organ (1995-1998, 1999-Present)
Matt Maginn - Bass, Backing Vocals (1995-1998, 1999-Present)
Ted Stevens - Guitar, Backing Vocals (1999-Present)
Clint Schnase - Drums, Percussion (1995-1998, 1999-2007, 2018-Present)
Patrick Newbery - Keys, Trumpet; Various (2006-Present)
Megan Siebe - Cello (2018-Present)
Pat Oakes - Drums (Touring & Recording) (2018-Present)
Previous Members:
Stephen Pedersen - Guitar, Backing Vocals (1995-1998)
Gretta Cohn - Cello (2001-2005)
Matthew Compton - Drums (2007-2009)
Cully Symington - Drums (2009-2018)