Sometimes they get down, other times they get up

The Spanish word Susto literally means “fright” in English but in Spanish folklore it refers to the soul leaving the body due to a severe shock or trauma.

If you listen to the melodic, often joyful music of the band Susto, which will play at Belly Up Aspen on Tuesday night, you might think the name is intended to be ironic — like calling a 6-foot-8 man “Tiny.” Take a deep dive into Susto’s lyrics and you will enter a complex universe that often juxtaposes extreme despair with ecstatic joy.

“There’s good stuff that happens in life and there’s really bad stuff that happens,” said Justin Osborne, lead singer/guitarist and lyricist of the Charleston, South Carolina-based band. I think the message and the takeaway of our music is yes there’s hardship but hopefully there’s optimism, and life isn’t all bad, and you know there’s joy to be found. And when you find it, savor it. And music is a place to find that and to embrace that. And as far as the melody and the joyful feelings of the music itself, I think it’s a great tool of music to wrap the hard pill in honey.” 

The seeds of Susto formed in Charleston in 2012 when Osborne was introduced to guitar player Johnny Delaware by producer Wolfgang Zimmerman. Osborne said he considers 2014 as the beginning of the band; that’s when their self-titled album debuted and they began to tour. 

Susto followed that with the album “I’m Fine Today” in 2017. “Ever Since ILost My Mind” was next in 2019 and a fourth album, “Time in the Sun,” followed in 2021. Susto’s fifth album, “My Entire Life,” was released in 2023. Susto’s first live album, “Live From Codfish Hollow,” arrived earlier this year. 

Never were the forces of joy and despair more at the surface for Osborne than when he sat down to write the music for “My Entire Life.” He had recently lost his father, experienced the birth of his first child, got divorced and was surrounded by loved ones dealing with drugs and addiction. Out of that emotional chaos came some of Susto’s most iconic songs, including “Good Right Now” and “Get Down,” which have garnered over three million and 18 million clicks on Spotify respectively. 

Osborne said his songwriting has always come from a confessional point of view.

“It’s a lot of drawing upon real-life experiences, either myself or folks in the band or folks near to us,” he said. “It just ends up covering a lot of different topics. There’s songs about falling in love, songs about breaking up. There’s songs about death and suicide, and substance abuse and deep, deep pain. There’s also ponderings on the origins of the universe. There’s really no boundaries from a lyrical and narrative standpoint.”

When asked how he would explain his music to a stranger sitting next to him on an airplane, he said, “For the stranger on a plane, I usually just tell people that I play folk-rock, with some psychedelic elements mixed in. Though if you want to dive a little deeper, when we play live we operate inside this Americana realm that we came up with over the years and we like to hit all these different places in it within the set.

“Sometimes it is a bit jammier and more psychedelic. Then there’s country-leaning stuff and then it can be more like folk-rock or straight-up rock ’n’ roll. It makes the show feel like this sort of journey, like you’re following the map of the set list. The vibe is different every night, which keeps it fresh for us. But the ultimate goal when we play live is to spread joy and hope, and also experience it for ourselves.”

Osborne is joined in Susto by Judy Blank on bass and vocals, Cannon Rogers on guitar and pedal steel guitar, Ian Klin on keyboards and Marshall Hudson on drums. Delaware is not on the band’s current tour.

Susto crossed off a bucket list venue in 2023 when the band played the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. 

“Getting to play the Ryman was in itself an incredible experience,” Osborne said. “When you walk in there, you’re walking in the footsteps of legends and you can feel it when you’re playing. What was incredibly special is we played it with our dear friends, Futurebirds. We’ve been friends with them since the beginning. They were the first band to invite us on a larger tour of the country. They are like family to us so to share that experience with them made it even more special.”

When asked what lyrics capture the essence of Susto, Osborne said had this to say: “I think the song ‘Get Down’ cuts to the core with the simple chorus, ‘Sometimes I get down, other times I get up.’ It’s simple, but that’s sort of the takeaway. Life is gonna kick you when you’re down and then it’s gonna also be the wind at your back sometimes. And that’s the message that I think sums up the band because we explore both extremes and everything in between.”