5 things to know about Susto, the headline act at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon have become as much an event to look forward to from area music fans alongside those interested in the race itself.

The event, in its fifth and final year in Raleigh, is infused with live bands along the race route, with music at the core of the running experience.

And early Sunday morning, the post-race concert at Red Amphitheater will attract crowds from runners and spectators alike. In Raleigh, past acts have included Gavin DeGraw, Cracker and Smashmouth.

This is the last year of the Rock 'n' Roll event, and the marathon has been dropped. The Half Marathon will be held April 8 throughout Raleigh along with a 5k and 1-mile run on April 7.

But the team behind the event has promised this year will feature more entertainment than before, with a range of acts — from DJs to drum lines — along the race route. What began as an experiment in blending the energy of a music festival weekend with the athleticism found within the famous races found in major cities has become a major boon to the neighborhoods that the participants run through, as over $310 million has been raised for charity.

This year, Susto, an indie rock band from Charleston, S.C., is the headline act with North Carolina native Caleb Caudle closing out the set.

Susto has emerged as one of the most buzzed-about young indie rock bands of the past several years, and the act has begun to expand its touring footprint. (In addition to Sunday's show, they will return to North Carolina April 20 for a show at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro and April 21 for Charlotte's Tuck Fest.)

Here's your crash course on Susto, a band that could stop traffic on the own, even without the aid of the numerous Road Closed signs that are sure to be all over downtown Raleigh this weekend.

1. Susto is helping put Charleston on the musical map.

Susto is one of the bands that has helped make the South Carolina city one of the preeminent music spots in the country the past few years. Alongside acts like Dangermuffin and Stop Light Observations — no strangers themselves to Triangle music venues — Charleston has become a breeding ground for talent that has many within the music industry wondering if the next great wave of rock bands may come from Southern zip codes. Susto's reputation as one of the great up-and-comers helped their first headlining tour across the United States feature sold-out shows in Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.

2. Their network TV debut was on "CBS This Morning" — on a Saturday.

Why is this appearance noteworthy? Most modern rock acts can't trace their big breaks to a slot on CBS' weekend morning show. Getting onto the show — either by a feature interview or a live performance — has introduced acts as disparate as folk singer John Moreland (2017's Big Bad Luv) to indietronica band Passion Pit ("Take a Walk") to potential fans. And these fans are in a demographic who has the extra income to buy tickets and merchandise, but are selective about who they see live.

3. They're at home on festival stages.

Before their own nationwide headlining tours, Susto were veterans of the music festival scene. They've played in front of a range of crowds, from some of the largest (Austin City Limits, known by music heads worldwide), to more intimate crowds, such as Happy Valley, Oregon's independent Pickathon. What's most remarkable is how the band's brand of indie rock feels at home in festivals representing all kinds of genres — from mainstream country festival Stagecoach, or alongside a hip-hop or metal act at Raleigh's own Hopscotch Music Fest. Perhaps the most surprising thing is that the band seemingly doesn't allow their surroundings to influence their approach to playing, as you are sure to hear their signature brand of rock no matter who was onstage before them.

4. They're strategic in building an audience.

The band's approach to building a fanbase was keeping particular media markets in the Southeast in mind. After making a name for themselves in the Charleston area fairly quickly, frontman Justin Osborne looked at the large cities found immediately around South Carolina, and had a game plan about how to make an impact outside of their home base as quickly as possible.

Before a performance last summer in Nashville, the singer told Billboard Magazine, “I wanted to hit DC, Nashville, Atlanta and Charlotte, because those are the four places near us that have professional sports teams, so that’s my rule of thumb." While that may sound like a funny way to base a tour schedule, if a band is looking for promotion from local media, it makes sense to book gigs in cities whose media makes the biggest impact. The approach worked, as the band's effort to build a name within the Triangle has led to multiple stops in the area, including their return for the April 20 show at the Cat's Cradle.

5. The band's beginnings were found in Cuba.

While Osborne is still a young man, he's been playing music since an early age. And he's already found that he needed to walk away from it for a while. Writing and recording his own songs since the age of 15, he began to feel when he was 26 that he was just repeating himself artistically. He disbanded the group he was in at the time and moved to Cuba for a short while.

Having the romantic notion that the move would result in his leaving music behind to join a random Leftist movement, he nonetheless immediately began attending music shows upon arrival to the island nation and surrounding himself with a new batch of musician friends. He soon found himself sharing his ideas for what would become Susto, a Spanish word that roughly translates to "panic attack" in English. They quickly advised him to return home to see the project to fruition.

Details

What: Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon Post Race Party with Susto, Kate Rhuday and Caleb Caudle

When: April 8. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. Kate Rhudy performs at 8 a.m. with Susto at 9:45 a.m. and Caleb Caudle at 11:15 a.m.

Where: Red Hat Amphitheater, 500 S. McDowell St., Raleigh

Cost: Free

Info: RedHatAmphitheater.com or 919-996-8800

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 5:39 PM with the headline "5 things to know about Susto, the headline act at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon."