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Welcome To Unbound Zine |
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| Album Review |
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Casey Jones-The Few, the Proud, the Crucial
(Indianola, 2004)
It’s nice to see a straight edge band with a sense of humor surrounding them. I like when bands aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in, but the tough guy stuff is just too much for me. These guys while musically are very serious, they have funny song titles and use quite a few samples from Family Guy throughout the course of the cd. For all of you cheesy slasher movie fans, they also use a sample from one of the Sleepaway Camp movies.
Musically you can expect a ton of blazing melodic riffs, heavy breakdown riffs and some of the catchiest and most to the point songwriting I’ve heard in quite sometime. I guess you could say they are somewhat similar in style to say bands like Comeback Kid, and possibly Good Clean Fun. The bio compared them to Bane, and Good Riddance, but honestly I don’t hear it. I could see fans of those bands being into this, but they don’t really sound similar.
The production does the job, although I possibly would have hoped for a beefier guitar tone. It definitely would have helped to have more low-end for some of the heavier breakdown riffs. As is, it’s a good sounding album that has a sense of urgency and really sounds like a band just playing and having fun.
In a time when hardcore is becoming heavier and heavier, it definitely is cool to hear bands like this still coming out. This is the type of stuff that I first got into and to me hardcore is meant to be fast and catchy. Of course there is still room for the heavy bands too.
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UN: Was Casey Jones mainly started out of a love for fast hardcore and wanted to play a style that you don’t really explore with your other bands? Was it the intention right out of the gate to be a straight edge band?
Joshua: Yeah, I love fast hardcore and have always wanted to be in a straight edge pride band, so this was the perfect band to start.
UN: Just out of curiosity which Casey Jones does the band name refer to? The American hero, or the ninja turtle character? What brought about the name in the first place? It’s an extremely memorable name.
Joshua: The character from Ninja Turtles is an American hero, ha. Jason came up with the name a while ago when a bunch of dudes from different local bands were going to start a somewhat power house band, that band never happened. A few years later we started this, I dunno the name just sounded like it fit, so we used it.
UN: How did Indianola come into the picture? I’m sure the Evergreen Terrace connection might help the band peak their interest as they have released ET stuff in the past.
Joshua: Yeah, I worked with them when they put out the ET record, so it was pretty easy getting them to release this.
UN: The artwork is definitely a unique approach to the genre. How did the whole straight edge confederate zombie thing come around? Who handled the artwork? It has an interesting sketchy style to it.
Joshua: I thought of the idea one day when i was watching a thing on TV talking about how soldiers are to represent there nation/ideals/beliefs....the things they will die for. We will believe in Straight Edge till death, and if i ever come back from the dead i sure as fuck will be a Straight Edge zombie. Plus we are from the south...so that's where the confederacy comes in. I think cover art should always stand out and grab your attention. Our friend, John O'brien, did the artwork.
UN: The Few, The Proud, The Crucial to me seems to serve as a tribute to the people that stick to straight edge and live the lifestyle for the right reasons. What first got you guys into the straight edge lifestyle?
Joshua: You are right about the title. I became Straight Edge when I was 14 after reading about it online. At the time a lot of my friends were getting into drinking/drugs and I just knew that I didn't want to be a part of it. Now, 7 years later 3 of them are dead from drugs. I was just a feeling that I got, I knew it was right for me after I found out about it. I saw Good Riddance a few months after I became Straight Edge and they refused to play until all the neon beer bar lights were turned off, till this day that gets me stoked. They stood on stage for 45 min until every beer lights were off. I remember thinking that was so awesome.
UN: I’ve always wondered this. A lot of hardcore bands are straight edge, yet it seems like most bands play in clubs that sell alcohol. Is it one of those necessary evils? I’m sure you guys aren’t out to tell people how to live, plus the bar would probably be disappointed with alcohol sales on a night when a straight edge band plays. To me it just seems like a smoke filled bar wouldn’t be the ideal setting for a straight edge band.
Joshua: I def hate smoke, but there aren't too many places you can play that aren't going to be bars. It sucks but you deal with it. We just want to let people know that it is what we have chosen and what we personally feel is the best lifestyle. If you agree then that's awesome, I hope you stick with it. If you don't agree then fuck you, live your life and see who will end up on top.
UN: Do you think the straight edge scene is at strong as it once was? I think it was at it’s peak around when Earth Crisis and Strife were at their peaks. But with any sort of popularity it might bring people into the lifestyle that aren’t sincere and when the popularity goes down a bit they’d go back to their old ways.
Joshua: I think right now Straight Edge is getting very popular again, somewhat trendy. In a few years you will see who was sincere about it and who wasn't. Everything is in cycles, we are just repeating the past.
UN: While the bands approach is fun and lyrics sometimes tongue in cheek, there is obviously a message to it as well. Do you think that a lot of hardcore has moved too far away from having lyrics that have a message? Personal lyrics are excellent, and I love relating to emotional lyrics, but to me hardcore has always been more about the message. It’s about standing up for what you believe in.
Joshua: That's what its about, its about voicing your opinion. I want people to read my lyrics and know what I’m talking about, not sit there and try to de-code some line about how the heart bleeds in the winters snow as fall from the tree of life into a death of desire. If you get something different then what i wrote the lyrics about then that's good but i want to try to be as blunt as possible.
UN: When did the idea to use samples come into play for the band? It’s actually something you don’t hear much in hardcore consistently through an album. There was awhile when bands needed the obligatory gangster movie intro to the album though. Was it important to keep the samples humorous and have a fun feel to the album? By the way, it’s great to see a sample from Sleepaway Camp 2 on there. It’s one of those movies that’s so bad it’s good.
Joshua: Oh shit, yeah I love Sleepaway Camp, shit is off the hook. I dunno we have always loved sound clips, we just thought they were appropriate.
UN: Does the band sharing members with Evergreen Terrace cause any conflicts? ET tours almost constantly so it must put a bit of a strain on how much Casey Jones can play live.
Joshua: Yeah it sucks sometimes, but whenever ET hit a dry spot and chill out on the touring then I’m sure CxJ will pick it up. We try to play as many shows as possible so people wont forget about us.
UN: What’s next for Casey Jones? Can we expect anything differences in the bands approach for the next album? I’m assuming it’s still a long ways off though.
Joshua: Yeah I'm sure it will be at least another year till the next record. I think the next record will be a little less "comedy", but still fun. Our newer songs are faster, harder, and heavier. More Straight Edge, ha. www.xcaseyjonesx.com
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