The Casualties

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The Casualties
Gig in Poland in January 2007
Gig in Poland in January 2007
Background information
Origin Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Genre(s) Street punk
Hardcore punk
Years active 1990-Current
Label(s) SideOneDummy Records
Website www.thecasualties.net
Members
Jorge Herrera
Rick
Jake Kolatis
Mark Eggers (Meggers)
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The Casualties are a street punk band from Jersey City, New Jersey formed in 1990.

Contents

Career

The Casualties in 2006
The Casualties in 2006

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 headlined the Vans Warped Tour in 2004, playing a style of punk that the reviewer said 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]

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

EPs

  • 1992: 40 Oz. Casualty
  • 1993: Drinking Is Our Way Of Life
  • 2000: Who's In Control?

Compilation albums

Live albums

Various artists compilation appearances

  • 1990: Benefit For Beer - "Political Sin"
  • 2003: Punx Unite - "Punx Unite"
  • 2005: Punx Unite 2 - "Way of Life"
  • 2004: AMP Magazine Presents: Volume 2-Street Punk - "Sounds From the Streets"
  • 2005: Punx Unite-Leaders of Today - "Rebel"

Videos

  • 2001: Get Off My Back
  • 2004: Tomorrow Belongs To Us
  • 2006: Can't Stop Us
  • 2006: On City Streets
  • ????: Drunkens
    • 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

References

  1. ^ American Music Press (AMP) # 07 Feb/Mar 2004, available at http://www.thecasualties.net/amp_interviews.htm

External links