Post by rockfan on Jun 25, 2009 16:02:58 GMT -5
blogs.southtownstar.com/entertainment/2009/06/music-a-conversation-with-the.html
Music: A conversation with the Lovehammers' Marty Casey
By Jessi Virtusioon June 25, 2009 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Hopefully you've already checked out my "Gig of the Week" in today's (6/25) Fifty-Two Weekends since it features some of my recent conversation with Southland native Marty Casey, of the Lovehammers. That article previews the band's Sunday (6/28) show at the Petrillo Music Shell at Chicago's Grant Park for Taste of Chicago and also focuses on the "Heavy Crown" CD, which will be released on 7/21.
But, just as he was chatty approximately a year ago when he was handling vocals for L.A. Guns, Casey shared much more than could fit in our print edition. So, here's what he had to say about several other topics including the importance of the Lovehammers' new single "Guns," what he likes to do when attending the Taste, and his work with the Silver Elements Collection. Kick back with a fave beverage, and check out the latest in Casey's world.
'Guns'
It was a pleasure to talk with Casey via phone during a break from prepping the release show for the single "Guns" at the House of Blues Chicago, where Lovehammers have performed a dozen times.
"It's amazing. One of our favorite venues in the city is House of Blues. Every time we do it, it's just a blast," he said. "For the fans, it's a unique place to go to. It's got great presentation. The backstage dressing room is just beautiful. It's fun to bring friends back there."
Since the Lovehammers conducted Shoebox of Love through which more than 1,000 care packages have been sent to those fighting abroad, it wasn't a surprise to hear how important Casey said the song "Guns" is.
"Right now a lot of people tend to forget, with the state of the economy and these different things that affect us at home. People tend to forget about the troops that are still over there and what they're doing for us," he said. "I feel they don't get the respect they deserve. (The song's) basically praying for the safety of the troops, and we're supporting what they do. We're not forgetting about them and letting the fan base know to not forget about them, too. They're dedicated to protecting all of us.
"We've had friends that are lifers in the military. Dino (Kourelis) has family and Bob (Kourelis) have extended family that are over there. We get to hear stories. We get to meet a lot of people who have come back. I've been given the gift of someone's first bullet from their gun. It affects you. You're looking at these people and realize what they've been through. I would just feel I would be in fear the entire time. They are just an entirely different breed and strength of people that are willing to do that. And they never walk around asking for anything from it."
Forever friends
The lifelong friends in Lovehammers date back to playing baseball in Hickory Hills. Casey now lives in Chicago, lead guitarist Billy Sawilchik now lives in Orland Park, bassist Dino Kourelis now lives in Chicago near U.S. Cellular Field, and drummer Bobby Kourelis now lives in Chicago's Gold Coast district. But the boys are still as tight as ever, both as friends and as musicians.
"I feel really lucky to be in this band. It is so much family," Casey said. "Once in a while you do things that can challenge a relationship. (It takes) having the understanding to accept it and bring everything back around and take another step. The Lovehammers have never died because we just refused to give up. We always want to be friends, and the only way we know how is to be in this band."
Sure, there were the times when much of Casey's time was taken up with competiting on the television show "Rock Star: INXS," for which he was the second runner-up, or the year he just finished fronting L.A. Guns and touring around the world. Still, the fans keep fueling the Lovehammers and earning the moniker of the Hammerheads.
"The reason we have all these opportunities and get to do these amazing things is because of the strength of the fan base," he said. "It has grown to be a whole big thing, bigger than the Lovehammers. People go to shows to see those friends that they only see at the Lovehammers shows. And that's what it's turned into. It's like a family party. It's like a class reunion. It's always an event for everyone to go to. I think the greatest thing is we now get to be a part of it. We are part of that party."
Taste of Chicago
Speaking of parties, Casey -- who considers Chicago's Beverly community like a second home -- said he always enjoys going to the Taste of Chicago and is super psyched to finally be playing the main stage at one of the city's biggest annual celebrations.
"Me and Dino have been there together. All we do is eat our faces off. We get one of everything and then we hang out. We always meet a group of friends out there. For us, it's just an eating event -- sitting down way back on the lawn and listening to people play. Especially these days, it's harder and harder to get our friends together on the same page. We just hang out in the back and drink beer and eat lots of food, and wait in line for hours to try and go pee."
Of couse, this time out -- at least on Sunday (6/28) -- the Lovehammers will be on stage for an hour instead of hanging in the back of the audience.
Casey, who said his contract with L.A. Guns ended on 6/01, said he's glad to be focused again on the Lovehammers.
"It was time to dedicate it to the Lovehammers and dedicate it to music we created, as opposed to singing someone else's tunes and re-creating something that existed," he said of his time with the Guns. "It was really fun to go around the world and go to South America. It was an experience I would have never gotten to do."
'Heavy Crown'
With "Heavy Crown" set to be released in less than a month, the Lovehammers will be quite busy promoting the CD, which is coming out through their own label.
"Dino and I were business guys from University of Illinois. We created REEP Records in 1997, and Dino manifested it to be Record Executives Everyday People. We're talking to fans and saying, 'What songs do you like? What's the direction?' because they're such supporters of the band. We're taking their voice and making them a part of it. It's kind of like a cult of fans, and we're just trying to work with everything. It's a lot funner that way."
Even though much of "Heavy Crown" was done by the Lovehammers' themselves, the vocals were cut in Los Angeles with Marti Fredericksen, who's worked with Aerosmith, Buckcherry, P!nk, Faith Hill and Papa Roach.
"It was very in-house," said Casey, an alum of Stagg High School in Palos Hills. "We utilized all relationships with friends to get the level of production we have. People are so amazed that we did this on our own. People really helped us out and believed in the project, offering up their expertises. These people are willing to do it because they like us and believe in the project."
'Trees'
Something Casey believes in is the Silver Elements Collection, fashion items that fuse modern artistry with an urban edge to support the Marty Casey Elements of Nature Fund. Purchases go toward planting trees in conjunction with American Forests' Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration projects. Billed as the United States' oldest nonprofit citizen conservation organization, American Forests helps people improve the environment with trees and forests.
"They do a really good job. It's just something fun. I'm not concerned with making money. It's how many trees that we plant," said Casey, whose song "Trees" gained mainstream attention when it was performed on "Rock Star: INXS." "It's been a great sidebar to music. Let's create this and see the designs coming, and now we have sunglasses, necklaces, wristbands. I enjoy wearing them. I try to bring things up and keep what I'm wearing interesting. It's been fun to incorporate that.
"Going through my many different things I wanted to be in college, getting to understand and going through some different degrees, you (see) the importance of trees and what they mean -- the symbol of what trees mean. It's been such a positive force in my life. It seemed like a simple thing to grab on to and support. What I want to do is play music. I want to write music, and this came about from the song and knowing it from taking classes in college. The simple importance of trees and what they do, it's a no-brainer. Why can't I take this as a sidebar project to do something that's important and actually mean something? I can't believe that trees are such a big part of my life. I never wanted it. I never asked for it. Now I'm like the trees guy," he quipped.
Music: A conversation with the Lovehammers' Marty Casey
By Jessi Virtusioon June 25, 2009 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Hopefully you've already checked out my "Gig of the Week" in today's (6/25) Fifty-Two Weekends since it features some of my recent conversation with Southland native Marty Casey, of the Lovehammers. That article previews the band's Sunday (6/28) show at the Petrillo Music Shell at Chicago's Grant Park for Taste of Chicago and also focuses on the "Heavy Crown" CD, which will be released on 7/21.
But, just as he was chatty approximately a year ago when he was handling vocals for L.A. Guns, Casey shared much more than could fit in our print edition. So, here's what he had to say about several other topics including the importance of the Lovehammers' new single "Guns," what he likes to do when attending the Taste, and his work with the Silver Elements Collection. Kick back with a fave beverage, and check out the latest in Casey's world.
'Guns'
It was a pleasure to talk with Casey via phone during a break from prepping the release show for the single "Guns" at the House of Blues Chicago, where Lovehammers have performed a dozen times.
"It's amazing. One of our favorite venues in the city is House of Blues. Every time we do it, it's just a blast," he said. "For the fans, it's a unique place to go to. It's got great presentation. The backstage dressing room is just beautiful. It's fun to bring friends back there."
Since the Lovehammers conducted Shoebox of Love through which more than 1,000 care packages have been sent to those fighting abroad, it wasn't a surprise to hear how important Casey said the song "Guns" is.
"Right now a lot of people tend to forget, with the state of the economy and these different things that affect us at home. People tend to forget about the troops that are still over there and what they're doing for us," he said. "I feel they don't get the respect they deserve. (The song's) basically praying for the safety of the troops, and we're supporting what they do. We're not forgetting about them and letting the fan base know to not forget about them, too. They're dedicated to protecting all of us.
"We've had friends that are lifers in the military. Dino (Kourelis) has family and Bob (Kourelis) have extended family that are over there. We get to hear stories. We get to meet a lot of people who have come back. I've been given the gift of someone's first bullet from their gun. It affects you. You're looking at these people and realize what they've been through. I would just feel I would be in fear the entire time. They are just an entirely different breed and strength of people that are willing to do that. And they never walk around asking for anything from it."
Forever friends
The lifelong friends in Lovehammers date back to playing baseball in Hickory Hills. Casey now lives in Chicago, lead guitarist Billy Sawilchik now lives in Orland Park, bassist Dino Kourelis now lives in Chicago near U.S. Cellular Field, and drummer Bobby Kourelis now lives in Chicago's Gold Coast district. But the boys are still as tight as ever, both as friends and as musicians.
"I feel really lucky to be in this band. It is so much family," Casey said. "Once in a while you do things that can challenge a relationship. (It takes) having the understanding to accept it and bring everything back around and take another step. The Lovehammers have never died because we just refused to give up. We always want to be friends, and the only way we know how is to be in this band."
Sure, there were the times when much of Casey's time was taken up with competiting on the television show "Rock Star: INXS," for which he was the second runner-up, or the year he just finished fronting L.A. Guns and touring around the world. Still, the fans keep fueling the Lovehammers and earning the moniker of the Hammerheads.
"The reason we have all these opportunities and get to do these amazing things is because of the strength of the fan base," he said. "It has grown to be a whole big thing, bigger than the Lovehammers. People go to shows to see those friends that they only see at the Lovehammers shows. And that's what it's turned into. It's like a family party. It's like a class reunion. It's always an event for everyone to go to. I think the greatest thing is we now get to be a part of it. We are part of that party."
Taste of Chicago
Speaking of parties, Casey -- who considers Chicago's Beverly community like a second home -- said he always enjoys going to the Taste of Chicago and is super psyched to finally be playing the main stage at one of the city's biggest annual celebrations.
"Me and Dino have been there together. All we do is eat our faces off. We get one of everything and then we hang out. We always meet a group of friends out there. For us, it's just an eating event -- sitting down way back on the lawn and listening to people play. Especially these days, it's harder and harder to get our friends together on the same page. We just hang out in the back and drink beer and eat lots of food, and wait in line for hours to try and go pee."
Of couse, this time out -- at least on Sunday (6/28) -- the Lovehammers will be on stage for an hour instead of hanging in the back of the audience.
Casey, who said his contract with L.A. Guns ended on 6/01, said he's glad to be focused again on the Lovehammers.
"It was time to dedicate it to the Lovehammers and dedicate it to music we created, as opposed to singing someone else's tunes and re-creating something that existed," he said of his time with the Guns. "It was really fun to go around the world and go to South America. It was an experience I would have never gotten to do."
'Heavy Crown'
With "Heavy Crown" set to be released in less than a month, the Lovehammers will be quite busy promoting the CD, which is coming out through their own label.
"Dino and I were business guys from University of Illinois. We created REEP Records in 1997, and Dino manifested it to be Record Executives Everyday People. We're talking to fans and saying, 'What songs do you like? What's the direction?' because they're such supporters of the band. We're taking their voice and making them a part of it. It's kind of like a cult of fans, and we're just trying to work with everything. It's a lot funner that way."
Even though much of "Heavy Crown" was done by the Lovehammers' themselves, the vocals were cut in Los Angeles with Marti Fredericksen, who's worked with Aerosmith, Buckcherry, P!nk, Faith Hill and Papa Roach.
"It was very in-house," said Casey, an alum of Stagg High School in Palos Hills. "We utilized all relationships with friends to get the level of production we have. People are so amazed that we did this on our own. People really helped us out and believed in the project, offering up their expertises. These people are willing to do it because they like us and believe in the project."
'Trees'
Something Casey believes in is the Silver Elements Collection, fashion items that fuse modern artistry with an urban edge to support the Marty Casey Elements of Nature Fund. Purchases go toward planting trees in conjunction with American Forests' Global ReLeaf ecosystem restoration projects. Billed as the United States' oldest nonprofit citizen conservation organization, American Forests helps people improve the environment with trees and forests.
"They do a really good job. It's just something fun. I'm not concerned with making money. It's how many trees that we plant," said Casey, whose song "Trees" gained mainstream attention when it was performed on "Rock Star: INXS." "It's been a great sidebar to music. Let's create this and see the designs coming, and now we have sunglasses, necklaces, wristbands. I enjoy wearing them. I try to bring things up and keep what I'm wearing interesting. It's been fun to incorporate that.
"Going through my many different things I wanted to be in college, getting to understand and going through some different degrees, you (see) the importance of trees and what they mean -- the symbol of what trees mean. It's been such a positive force in my life. It seemed like a simple thing to grab on to and support. What I want to do is play music. I want to write music, and this came about from the song and knowing it from taking classes in college. The simple importance of trees and what they do, it's a no-brainer. Why can't I take this as a sidebar project to do something that's important and actually mean something? I can't believe that trees are such a big part of my life. I never wanted it. I never asked for it. Now I'm like the trees guy," he quipped.
