Post by lesley on Feb 7, 2006 11:41:15 GMT -5
Daily Herald
February 3, 2006
New Sensation
BY MARK GUARINO Daily Herald Music Critic
www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=150395
Hickory Hills native Marty Casey became an overnight TV celebrity last year when he vied to become the new lead singer of INXS on the hit CBS reality show "Rock Star: INXS."
Casey, 32, was already familiar to Chicago music fans as the lead singer of Lovehammers, a band that sold 30,000 albums on their own independent label over the years and was poised to become the next big thing out of the city. That looks to be the case with the release of the band's first major label album on Epic and a supporting slot on the current INXS tour, which has sold out every date.
Not bad for a guy who came in second place. I talked with Casey last week about the wild ride he's been on since a year ago this month when he auditioned for the show at Schubas. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.
Q. Did you decide to audition for a chance to be in INXS or to be on a reality show?
A. I've never done anything like it before. And I think this one, the band INXS I always loved. And it was a singer I had the same range as. It wasn't David Lee Roth, something that was out of my reach. I had been compared to Michael Hutchence before. So I'm like, if there was ever a band I could step in for, this would be the one.
Q. You were already in a band, so performing in front of the public came naturally. But with TV cameras, did you suddenly feel you had to step it up?
A. Definitely right when I arrived. They did a search over four continents, so I knew they would have some talent. I always thought, "Always be on top of your game, always know both sides of a story before getting involved in a situation." And I think what it kind of builds coming out of that environment is a lot of confidence. When you eventually get to step on a stage, that's where you feel right at home as opposed to walking around a $30 million mansion than hanging out with (hosts) Dave (Navarro) and Brooke Burke.
Q. When you got chosen, what did you tell your band?
A. When I initially told them I'm going to be on this reality show, they freaked out and were not happy about it. They didn't understand it. But when the show started, when they saw it was a huge production and that it was really well-done, they thought, "Wow, this could be a good thing for us." When it got to the end, they thought, "Come in second place, come in second place!" They were getting nervous. (If I won), I would have been full-time INXS and it would have been all-consuming. They were really nervous at the end.
Q. What did you tell them?
A. I couldn't talk to them. I couldn't talk to anybody. I talked with my family 15 minutes a week. I didn't have newspapers, Internet, TV. They had no idea what was going on with my head either, which freaked them out. We were completely out of the loop.
Q. The new album is called "Marty Casey and Lovehammers," not just the band name.
A. Epic required that. They said, "People don't know who Lovehammers are yet. Don't make the mistake of not mentioning your name because it was a $40 million show you were on for 30 episodes."
Q. Before the show, how did you see Lovehammers as fitting into the Chicago scene?
A. We were Chicago hopefuls. People saw that we could sell out the Metro, Vic, House of Blues. There was a local band doing it on their own. I think everyone kind of said, "If anybody's going to do anything out of this town, these guys have a good shot." We had a lot of people behind us that invested a lot of time being fans and they wanted to see all that time spent in the band to kind of pay off and to say, "I saw them when."
Q. Why did you remain so independent for so long?
A. We wanted to step up into the big leagues, that was always the goal. But since it wasn't happening, we just said, "We've got to do it on our own." We wanted to put out a CD, so we started a label and did it correctly so you can get distribution and SoundScan. And we charted, and we released a DVD that was No. 1 on Billboard. We just hit it. We said, "Nobody else is doing it for us, we'll do it ourselves."
Q. Did that experience help you on the show?
A. I think so, yeah. Coming in and just being pretty well-versed in not only the music side but also the business side of a band. I think INXS has been around for so long, they understand all these points. They're mature as far as being professional musicians. So I think they respected that we did it on our own. It just said, "This kid is driven."
Q. How is being in Chicago any different than say if you were on either coast to make things happen like you have?
A. The difference is, in New York or L.A., people have more of a tendency to put bands together to get a deal. They put it out there and see if it hits. In Chicago, people develop bands because first they just think it's cool to play. They like hanging out doing the bar scene. And then it's about discovering you need great songs and getting artistic. It's a long, hard work process for bands in Chicago as opposed to other places where it's a project. People don't treat bands like projects in Chicago.
Q. You came in second place on the show, yet you signed immediately with Epic. Did you know that was coming if you lost?
A. Epic is closely tied to the show because they were releasing the INXS record. So we were always surrounded by Epic execs. I'd record songs with INXS for the record just to see how the voice sounded. And they'd discuss it with them and have meetings with Epic. So it got really tight with Epic, and they had the first crack at getting to know all the performers because they were inside the camp. So when it ended, I was the No. 1 free agent out there with all this exposure and with (the single) "Trees" that was the No. 1 download on MSN, so it was a no-brainer for them. They thought, "Well, let's give this kid a shot." The thing I think was cool about it was they also gave the Lovehammers a shot. For a little bit I thought, "How is this going to work if they just want to sign me because that's not what I want to do."
Q. Are reality TV shows a good way to discover new music now?
A. It totally reignited INXS. And it's totally ignited a career of Lovehammers ... everyone has parlayed the show into something. At least the last five or six or seven (finalists). It is the new media outlet for finding talent. And a lot of people knock it. But for me, I can't believe all that it's done. The positives grossly outweigh the negatives.
Q. I imagine part of the thrill was getting to know a band you grew up with.
A. They were really down-to-earth guys. This was as weird for them as it was for us. So it almost bound us tighter together because we were all going through a really weird thing together. And when the cameras would shut off, we would look at each other and say, "Man, this is strange." So not only do you get to go record with INXS. To just make it weirder you have three cameras on you while you meet them and while you talk to them. You're never just hanging out and drinking beers. You're always on camera. It's always not totally real.
Q. When the cameras went away, did you miss them?
A. Oh yeah, you get addicted to it. "Why don't people care about me going to pick up groceries? Why aren't they documenting this for all of history?" (laughs) "My life is so damn interesting!" So you get used to it and then you crave it. I'm lucky to get to the end of the show and have a little success out of it. If it all dropped off and there was nothing, I think I'd be a little freaked out.
Q. Why's that?
A. Just because you get all this buildup, and for me, it had to turn into something. It had to keep going. It had to keep building. I felt really lucky. If they just throw you out on the street and then you're back to normal, that sucks.
Marty Casey and Lovehammers opening for INXS
When:
8 p.m. Saturday
Where:
Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago
Tickets:
$35/$65. Sold out
Marty Casey and Lovehammers are also playing a free set at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Virgin Megastore, 540 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
February 3, 2006
New Sensation
BY MARK GUARINO Daily Herald Music Critic
www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=150395
Hickory Hills native Marty Casey became an overnight TV celebrity last year when he vied to become the new lead singer of INXS on the hit CBS reality show "Rock Star: INXS."
Casey, 32, was already familiar to Chicago music fans as the lead singer of Lovehammers, a band that sold 30,000 albums on their own independent label over the years and was poised to become the next big thing out of the city. That looks to be the case with the release of the band's first major label album on Epic and a supporting slot on the current INXS tour, which has sold out every date.
Not bad for a guy who came in second place. I talked with Casey last week about the wild ride he's been on since a year ago this month when he auditioned for the show at Schubas. What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.
Q. Did you decide to audition for a chance to be in INXS or to be on a reality show?
A. I've never done anything like it before. And I think this one, the band INXS I always loved. And it was a singer I had the same range as. It wasn't David Lee Roth, something that was out of my reach. I had been compared to Michael Hutchence before. So I'm like, if there was ever a band I could step in for, this would be the one.
Q. You were already in a band, so performing in front of the public came naturally. But with TV cameras, did you suddenly feel you had to step it up?
A. Definitely right when I arrived. They did a search over four continents, so I knew they would have some talent. I always thought, "Always be on top of your game, always know both sides of a story before getting involved in a situation." And I think what it kind of builds coming out of that environment is a lot of confidence. When you eventually get to step on a stage, that's where you feel right at home as opposed to walking around a $30 million mansion than hanging out with (hosts) Dave (Navarro) and Brooke Burke.
Q. When you got chosen, what did you tell your band?
A. When I initially told them I'm going to be on this reality show, they freaked out and were not happy about it. They didn't understand it. But when the show started, when they saw it was a huge production and that it was really well-done, they thought, "Wow, this could be a good thing for us." When it got to the end, they thought, "Come in second place, come in second place!" They were getting nervous. (If I won), I would have been full-time INXS and it would have been all-consuming. They were really nervous at the end.
Q. What did you tell them?
A. I couldn't talk to them. I couldn't talk to anybody. I talked with my family 15 minutes a week. I didn't have newspapers, Internet, TV. They had no idea what was going on with my head either, which freaked them out. We were completely out of the loop.
Q. The new album is called "Marty Casey and Lovehammers," not just the band name.
A. Epic required that. They said, "People don't know who Lovehammers are yet. Don't make the mistake of not mentioning your name because it was a $40 million show you were on for 30 episodes."
Q. Before the show, how did you see Lovehammers as fitting into the Chicago scene?
A. We were Chicago hopefuls. People saw that we could sell out the Metro, Vic, House of Blues. There was a local band doing it on their own. I think everyone kind of said, "If anybody's going to do anything out of this town, these guys have a good shot." We had a lot of people behind us that invested a lot of time being fans and they wanted to see all that time spent in the band to kind of pay off and to say, "I saw them when."
Q. Why did you remain so independent for so long?
A. We wanted to step up into the big leagues, that was always the goal. But since it wasn't happening, we just said, "We've got to do it on our own." We wanted to put out a CD, so we started a label and did it correctly so you can get distribution and SoundScan. And we charted, and we released a DVD that was No. 1 on Billboard. We just hit it. We said, "Nobody else is doing it for us, we'll do it ourselves."
Q. Did that experience help you on the show?
A. I think so, yeah. Coming in and just being pretty well-versed in not only the music side but also the business side of a band. I think INXS has been around for so long, they understand all these points. They're mature as far as being professional musicians. So I think they respected that we did it on our own. It just said, "This kid is driven."
Q. How is being in Chicago any different than say if you were on either coast to make things happen like you have?
A. The difference is, in New York or L.A., people have more of a tendency to put bands together to get a deal. They put it out there and see if it hits. In Chicago, people develop bands because first they just think it's cool to play. They like hanging out doing the bar scene. And then it's about discovering you need great songs and getting artistic. It's a long, hard work process for bands in Chicago as opposed to other places where it's a project. People don't treat bands like projects in Chicago.
Q. You came in second place on the show, yet you signed immediately with Epic. Did you know that was coming if you lost?
A. Epic is closely tied to the show because they were releasing the INXS record. So we were always surrounded by Epic execs. I'd record songs with INXS for the record just to see how the voice sounded. And they'd discuss it with them and have meetings with Epic. So it got really tight with Epic, and they had the first crack at getting to know all the performers because they were inside the camp. So when it ended, I was the No. 1 free agent out there with all this exposure and with (the single) "Trees" that was the No. 1 download on MSN, so it was a no-brainer for them. They thought, "Well, let's give this kid a shot." The thing I think was cool about it was they also gave the Lovehammers a shot. For a little bit I thought, "How is this going to work if they just want to sign me because that's not what I want to do."
Q. Are reality TV shows a good way to discover new music now?
A. It totally reignited INXS. And it's totally ignited a career of Lovehammers ... everyone has parlayed the show into something. At least the last five or six or seven (finalists). It is the new media outlet for finding talent. And a lot of people knock it. But for me, I can't believe all that it's done. The positives grossly outweigh the negatives.
Q. I imagine part of the thrill was getting to know a band you grew up with.
A. They were really down-to-earth guys. This was as weird for them as it was for us. So it almost bound us tighter together because we were all going through a really weird thing together. And when the cameras would shut off, we would look at each other and say, "Man, this is strange." So not only do you get to go record with INXS. To just make it weirder you have three cameras on you while you meet them and while you talk to them. You're never just hanging out and drinking beers. You're always on camera. It's always not totally real.
Q. When the cameras went away, did you miss them?
A. Oh yeah, you get addicted to it. "Why don't people care about me going to pick up groceries? Why aren't they documenting this for all of history?" (laughs) "My life is so damn interesting!" So you get used to it and then you crave it. I'm lucky to get to the end of the show and have a little success out of it. If it all dropped off and there was nothing, I think I'd be a little freaked out.
Q. Why's that?
A. Just because you get all this buildup, and for me, it had to turn into something. It had to keep going. It had to keep building. I felt really lucky. If they just throw you out on the street and then you're back to normal, that sucks.
Marty Casey and Lovehammers opening for INXS
When:
8 p.m. Saturday
Where:
Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago
Tickets:
$35/$65. Sold out
Marty Casey and Lovehammers are also playing a free set at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Virgin Megastore, 540 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
