Cursillistas is a Psych-Folk artist from Portland, Maine named Matt Lajoie. A self-released CDR called “Rotary and Gems” was picked up upon by Time-Lag’s Nemo Bidstrup. Since then, Cursillistas has released a number of handmade & self-released documents in addition to a CDR-only release on Time-Lag. Lajoie recently started his own label, L’animaux Tryst, and also plays in a handful of other groups.
Of the name ‘Cursillistas’, Matt Lajoie said in an interview with Digitalis: ”Well, the short story is that it was just a word I thought looked really nice. It’s a word I would see all the time in the church bulletin in Van Buren, and didn’t really know who these Cursillistas were or what they did, but it was always just a nice word to me. I like the palindrome “sillis” in the middle. I never really considered it would be difficult for a lot of people to pronounce. A lot of people ask me how to say it, and I don’t even know to tell you the truth; I don’t speak a bit of Spanish. But I do know the “L’s” are probably supposed to be silent, even though most people pronounce them”.

His follow up to the CDR ‘Rotary And Gems’ in 2005 was ‘Thrush Chimes In The Field Haunt’ released in a limited edition of 140 through Time-Lag. A 3”CDR and cassette entitled ‘Les Biches’ was released on L’animaux Tryst in 2006, and early 2007 saw the release of a split double-3”CDR / cassette with Maine’s Bird Microphone, also on L’animaux Tryst. A number of self-released tour CDRs and cassettes followed, as well as a 7” record in the Tryst Haunt series (“Taste Teeth b/w “You Float, No Evens”).

In 2008, ‘Wasp Stings the Last Bitter Flavor’ was released as a limited edition (100 copies) 12” lathe-cut record on 5MA, and reissued as a CD on Digitalis Industries in February 2008.