Cain & Stables: Cain Culto Reimagines Americana at Sleeping Village
Article by Peter Deck // Photo by Jordan Kirk
Christian imagery and themes of Americana have long carried meanings that shift depending on who is invoking them. At a time when those symbols remain deeply entangled with American identity and politics, fresh and transgressive interpretations of familiar religious imagery can offer a different way of understanding traditions many grew up with while staring up at crosses and spotlights. Enter Cain Culto, a Kentucky-raised, LA-based ex-evangelical pastor who artfully blends EDM, bluegrass, folk and Latin hip-hop to create a mix of deeply personal ballads and playful club bangers.
Sleeping Village hosted the Chicago stop of CULTO’s “Occulto” tour, its bi-level, surprisingly well-chilled space providing an intimate setting for the night. The small venue, reminiscent of a local black-box theater, seemed a perfect fit for CULTO and company, drawing a crowd of eager fans from across Chicagoland. Two acts opened for Cain Culto: Atlanta-based “R&Pop” artist Neila and Columbia College Chicago alum Chillona. Both brought singular sounds that demonstrated the wide array of influences found within Chicago’s alternative pop scene. Chillona, in particular, had the crowd enamored with her commanding stage presence and dancers, especially during “GUAPA.”
Cain Culto began his show wearing puppy ears and a face mask (the first of many costumes), dramatically flaunting his electric violin under warm sunset lighting. The room was initially filled with an eclectic mix of orchestra and the best parts of the 2010s hipster folk movement, but throughout his set, the audience would go on to hear a wide variety of instrumentation including Colombian folk drums and liberal usage of a slide guitar. Highlighted with the inclusion of his violin, CULTO seems to embrace styles from across the continent, recontexualizing genres and developing them inside of a well-seasoned melting pot. In a similar way to how the “fiddle” was historically reclaimed by families across the country, CULTO adopts tropes from Folk, Hip Hop, and Worship music to generate an entirely new sonic experience, one rooted in his own ancestry and queer identity. CULTO describes this process as “rediscovering his spirituality,” stating that it “brought him back to his body” before his ultimate song.
One would be remiss to solely mention CULTO’s music, however, as his performative talents are just as strong as his compositional capabilities. CULTO demonstrated a great concern with developing a visual portrait of his influences on stage. Whether it was donning a cowboy hat, adorning himself with a laser headdress, swinging around a Macuahuitl, or attempting to scare the audience with his replica Freddy Krueger glove, CULTO gave his audience a variety of themes to chew on and interrogate. Particular highlights of the show included him jumping off the stage to join the audience, taking a break midset for a “Chisme” phone call skit while recounting his three hours of sleep and running over of a racoon, and his final introspective ballad “BORN AGAIN” where he took of his hat, sat on the stage, and poured his heart out to the fans.
Whatever walk of life you come from, or whomever you decide to pray to at the end of the day has no bearing on one’s enjoyment of Cain Culto, as he has developed an experience that any art lover could cherish and appreciate. If you missed this show, hopefully you can catch one of his upcoming performances across the US or Australia, found here.
