Sep. 06, 2006 - Issue #568: Sex in the City
Veteran punks battered but report no Casualties
Thankfully, New York City’s the Casualties aren’t among the fallen, continuing to blare out their raucous brand of music for the ever-burgeoning audiences.
Started in 1990 as a return to punk roots, which were all but dead at the time, the Casualties changed members the way some people (though not many punks) change their socks. The lineup eventually stabilized in 1999 with the quartet who will hit Edmonton on Monday.
Longtime guitarist and uni-monikered Jake explains that the band stayed true to their original punk mentality throughout this time, which saw their audience grow from 10 people in a basement to the tens of thousands who attend Warped Tour every year.
“When we get onstage, we’re not wearing stage clothes,” he says. “This is how we look when we wake up. I think some people get confused because with some bands they look a certain way, but it’s just a stage gimmick.”
Though the band has certainly stayed true to their roots, some fans haven’t been very happy with the success the band has had. Whiny cries of “sellout” have recently dogged them because they’ve opted to put out DVDs, play on the hyper-commercial Warped Tour and put out ringtones.
“It does piss me off sometimes when people say we’ve sold out,” says Jake. “It’s not like our band is changing our sound to get on the radio. To think that if you have a little success you’re not punk anymore is ridiculous. It’s a ghetto mentality to stay down. I think you should make something of yourself. Besides, we didn’t get into punk to listen to other people.” V Mon, Sep 11 (7 pm)
The Casualties
With Varukers, Wednesday Night Heroes
Starlite Room, $15 (All Ages)
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