Susan Carson is a Cleveland-based electric indie rock duo crafting smart, soulful, emotionally driven songs that draw from rock, R&B, hip hop, shoegaze, and jazz influences. Built on Susan Carson’s powerful vocals and shimmering, jangling guitar, and Rikk Mayr’s hard-driving, melodic bass lines, the duo creates a wide, cinematic soundscape through layered keys and drum tracks. Their live performances are energetic, polished, and immersive—designed to pull the room in and hold it, a true listen-up concert experience.

 

The project began far from a stage or studio, in the disciplined quiet of a kung fu school. After relocating from Connecticut to Northeast Ohio in mid-2024, Susan enrolled in martial arts classes at Rikk’s school in Avon Lake. Between workouts, conversations drifted toward music. Rikk mentioned he “used to play a little bass”—a quiet understatement that soon revealed a Berklee College of Music degree and time spent touring internationally, including work with Gene Allen from Lizzy Borden, Neal Casal and southern rock mainstays Blackfoot.

 

Susan brought her own deep musical history to the collaboration, having played in Columbus, Ohio in the ’90s (The Susans) and more recently throughout Connecticut and New York (Laura DeLallo Band, Pink Baby, Me & D.) After settling in Northeast Ohio, she was already carving out a steady run of solo shows along the Lake Erie coast. She invited Rikk to sit in one night, and the musical chemistry was immediate—focused, intuitive, electric.

 

Formed in 2025, Susan Carson (the duo) has been playing shows across the region, blending original material with a carefully curated selection of crowd favorites. Their performances are often described as professional, powerful, and deeply engaging, reflecting the duo’s songwriting vision and their seasoned performance experience. Now writing and recording new material at Starsound Studios in North Royalton, Ohio, the duo is building toward their next chapter—expanding their reach through live shows, new releases, and scouting out supporting slot opportunities.