BAND: The Casualties
INTERVIEWER: Liz Wise (Liz@bandvibe.com)
INTERVIEWEE: Rick
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 07.23.06

BAND MEMBERS:
Rick- Bass
Jorge- Vocals
Meggers- Drums
Jake- Guitar

BV: How many times have you been on Warped tour?
Rick: This is the third time we’ve done the whole thing. It’s our fourth overall. We tested it out in 2001. Then 2002, 2004 and now 2006.

BV: How has it changed through the years?
Rick: I got asked that question before and I thought about it afterward and it hasn’t really. I think it’s been pretty consistent. As far as turn out and such. Of course it’s gotten bigger and I think it’s better organized now.

BV: Do you enjoy touring? You’ve got to in order to do this right?
Rick: You either like it or hate yourself. It’s tough but I really do like playing on stage. Everyday it’s like, ok, let’s do this, let’s get out there and have a good show. Even though the rest of the day you’re going to be bored.

BV: Is it better to tour on your own or as part of a festival as this?
Rick: That’s a good question and it varies. I like it when it’s just a club gig, like us and three other bands maybe. I like the intimacy and vibe. I like the big tours too cause you can hang with different people everyday. I don’t like getting up there in the middle of the day though, I can tell you that much. Cause I like my sleep. You can sleep in when you go on at 8pm instead of 11am.

BV: That rush from being on stage has to wake you up though. Then maybe it tires you out.
Rick: Yeah. Yeah and sometimes you‘ve got the tour manager shaking you to get out of bed.

BV: Any great stories from the tour so far?
Rick: There have been some great bus parties for sure. In Seattle there were hardly any people there and we just started kicking around a soccer ball. As more people came in they joined. It was different for sure.

BV: Any plans for after Warped Tour?
Rick: Tour.

BV: Any favorite places you’ve toured?
Rick: Probably Japan. Everything just looks so different over there. You see this can you know is a Coke can but it’s got Japanese writing all over it. I like a lot of Japanese stuff, I like Japanese cars, Japanese motorcycles.

BV: How hard was/is it or what was it like looking for a record label? What’s your current label?
Rick: We’re on Side One Dummy out of LA. It’s an independent label and we get good distribution. They picked us actually. We were on a small label in New York and playing at CBGBs and the guys were in the crowd and liked us.

BV: Do you have any advice for bands getting started?
Rick: Tour and tour more, then after that tour again. Somewhere in there you should write a record if you can.

BV: How did the current line-up come together?
Rich: Jorge started the band a while ago and Jake came in. Then they got Meggers in ’97 and I joined in ’99. And it’s been this way since. We basically met each other from around the NY punk scene.

BV: Influences?
Rick: Everyone in the band likes different stuff. You could say that it’s all punk but there are different styles of punk, British punk and ‘80s punk. I like stuff that you can go and get messed up to on the weekends. No violins.

BV: Who are your favorite bands of the moment? Who’s in your CD player?
Rick: The Briefs from Seattle. We’re touring with them on the Punks Unite Tour. Rise against, Helmet, who is also on Warped Tour, I like watching them. Also Tragedy and The Regulations who are from Sweden.

BV: What would you like to tell your fans?
Rick: “Under Attack” will be out the 22nd of August. Go to a mom and pop store first please. Support your local vendors. Everyone’s on Myspace, so check us out.

BV: What is one question you would ask yourself in an interview? Answer…
Rick: I’ve always wanted to be asked what gear I use. I’m a pretty big gear head.

BV: And…
Rick: I use a couple of basses I built myself that are replicas of Fenders. I use a 300 watt amp preamp. It’s actually a pretty common preamp. I just got a Korg tuner, Ernie Ball strings, Ampeg cabs and Crate amps. Basically whatever I can do to get a dirty sound.

Check out Bandvibe's photo coverage of The Casualties:
+Van's Warped Tour 06 - San Francisco - 07/08/06
+Van's Warped Tour 06 - Denver - 07/23/06

For more information on The Casualties, log onto:
+http://www.thecasualties.net
+http://www.myspace.com/thecasualties
+http://www.interpunk.com