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The Casualties
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (September 2006) |
| The Casualties | |
|---|---|
 Gig in Poland in January 2007
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Jersey City New Jersey United States |
| Genre(s) | Street Punk |
| Years active | 1990-Current |
| Label(s) | SideOneDummy Records |
| Website | www.thecasualties.net |
| Members | |
| Jorge Herrera Rick Jake Kolatis Meggers |
|
The Casualties are a street punk band from Jersey City, New Jersey formed in 1990.
Contents |
Career
Founding Members
The Casualties members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of punk, which they believed had disappeared by 1985. During the early years, the lineup changed a great deal. The initial lineup consisted of Colin and Jorge on vocals, Yureesh on drums, Hank on guitar, and Mark on bass. Colin stepped out for several months to finish his education while Rachel, Rivits's singer, took his place.
First Recordings
At this point, Colin, Jorge, Yureesh, and Mark put together a demo. Fred replaced Hank, but then Fred left to go to school, and Scott from C Squat filled in. Another guitarist, Steve, also filled in during this period. The EP , 40 oz Casualty was recorded. By 1992, the band was touring and building up a fan base in NYC. In 1993, bassist Mark and guitarist Fred were replaced by Mike and Jake, respectively. Meggers of the Rivits came to fill in and became the regular drummer. The line-up of Jorge, Jake, Mike and Meggers continued until 1997, when Jon joined as bassist (subsequently, Jon was replaced by Rick).
Current Activities
The Casualties have continued to produce high-energy recordings and they have done US and international tours (e.g., Europe, Japan, and Mexico). Their latest release is "Under Attack" on SideOneDummy Records and they have been touring virtually non-stop since July 2006 in support of the new album.
Media Coverage
A cover story in American Music Press (AMP) # 07 (Feb/Mar 2004) stated that “New York veterans THE CASUALTIES” sing about both social issues and “lighter subjects in life such as drinking and partying.” In December of 2003, THE CASUALTIES toured in Europe with German punk band FRONTKICK. Guitarist Jake stated that the band’s internet presence has helped them to get new fans. The band is headlined the Vans Warped Tour in 2004 summer, continuing to play a style of punk that the reviewer says is “inspired by bands like GBH and The Exploited”, and putting on what the reviewer calls “the fiercest punk shows around.” The review stated that ON THE FRONT LINE “is the band's classic sound with a touch of Oi style, but with a tighter, cleaner sound than previous albums.” According to Jake "If one day punk isn't popular anymore, we're not going to stop doing it. We look it, we love it, we live it."[1]
Debates by fans
Some punk fans argue that The Casualties have "sold out", while others claim the band has retained their punk values. Critics have called the band's look cliché.
Defenders of the band argue that the punk philosophy is more about a DIY (do it yourself) attitude than a style of dress (though this can be seen as hypocritical because the lyrics of the Casualties often imply clothes and hairstyles as a major definition of punk). The Casualties rose from a dying New York City scene in the early 1990s. According to Jorge: "If you want to unite, the best way is not to fight amongst ourselves, but against the idiots outside(Can't Stop Us, Mexico City Day 2, Mexico 2006).", although it is obvious that sometimes internal problems must be fixed in order to solve external ones.
Some members of the punk scene criticize The Casualties for changing their opinions to be seem more accepting to general audiences. For instance, the band has put out songs in the past suggesting violence towards hippies and crusties, yet will make speeches at concerts about how accepting they are of people and their personal beliefs.
Despite popular thought, The Casualties are originally from Jersey City, New Jersey. They played some of their first shows in New York City though.
Members
Current lineup
- Jorge - vocals(1990-present)
- Rick - bass (1999-present)
- Jake - guitar (1993-present)
- Meggers - drums (1995-present)
Past members
- Colin - vocals (1990-1994)
- Hank - bass (1990-1992)
- Fred - guitar (1992-1993)
- Marie - bass (1992-1993)
- Mike - bass (1993-1997)
- Jon - bass (1997-1999)
- Yureesh - drums (1990-1994)
- Shawn - drums (1993-1994)
- Mehdi - bass (1999)
Discography
Studio albums
- For The Punx (1997)
- Underground Army (1998)
- Stay Out Of Order (2000)
- Die Hards (2001)
- On The Front Line (2004)
- En La Lina De En Frente (2005)
- Under Attack (2006)
Compilation albums
- The Early Years: 1990-1995 (2001)
Live albums
- Made in NYC (2007)
Various artists compilation appearances
- Benefit For Beer (1990) - "Political Sin"
- Punx Unite (early 90's) - "Punx Unite"
- Punx Unite 2 (90's) - "Way of Life"
- AMP Magazine Presents: Volume 2-Street Punk (2004) - "Sounds From the Streets"
- Punx Unite-Leaders of Today (2005) - "Rebel"
EPs
- 40 Oz. Casualty (1992)
- Drinking Is Our Way Of Life (1993)
- Who's In Control? (2000)
Videos
- Get Off My Back (2001)
- Tomorrow Belongs To Us (2004)
- Can't Stop Us (2006)
- On City Streets (2006)
- Drunken s (????) This video was made and compiled by a close friend of The Casualties highlighting the early years of The Casualties with their original singer as well as Jorge from 1990 to 1995 or 96. It is now the rarest and oldest footage of The Casualties ever taped, and used to be on some punk distribution sites like AngryYoungAndPoor.com and PunkUtopia.com, but was later pulled by the band themselves because of the "Can't Stop Us" DVD (or some other DVD) that supposedly would/will contain old, rare footage of them back in the early days.
Reviews
- CD Review of "Under Attack" by Chris Andrade on October 18, 2006 at kMNR...Music News Weekly
References
- ^ American Music Press (AMP) # 07 Feb/Mar 2004, available at http://www.thecasualties.net/amp_interviews.htm