10 Quick Ones with MARTY CASEY – June 2018

According to a recent press release: “Since the time Marty Casey shot to fame as a runner­up on hit CBS reality TV show Rockstar: INXS, his brand of rock ‘n roll has been ever­ evolving. Former L.A. Guns bandmate Tracii Guns describes Marty as “a charismatic front man with a golden voice, incredible drive and impeccable songwriting skills,” Marty’s long and winding journey as a musician has led him to this moment: releasing his debut solo album, The Ground You Walk On, in 2017.” We get Marty to discuss new music, influences, and more in our 10 Quick Ones…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets the band put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

The album The Ground You Walk On was written in an effort to put out a cool summer record that had an immense vibe and big hooks all the way thru. I wanted each song to have its own sound and color. A lot of the album was written in Maui so the atmosphere of the island had flowed into the overall sound in a big way. This is one record where the journey of making was as important as the destination.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

My five older brothers and sisters all loved and BLARED their music in the house when I was growing up. All of those different artists and bands that they liked just seeped into my brain.  When I saw Axl Rose on MTV doing the snake charmer dance and singing “Welcome to the Jungle” it made me want to perform on stage and be completely free and tough like that. He looked so bad ass and Guns n Roses looked like a gang. I wanted to be in a musical gang too… and eventually I met up with some dudes on my tee ball baseball team when I was 9 years old and we started the band Lovehammers. We bought instruments and tried to learn some covers and we were pretty terrible but we felt like we were as cool as Motley or Halen.

3. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Hard to put that response into 5 bands… I can tell you five songs that made me want to be a rock n rolla…

• Motley Crue – “Livewire”
• Van Halen – “Unchained”
• Metallica – “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
• Accept – “Fast as a Shark”
• Repo Man Soundtrack

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be?

Dr. Feelgood era Nikki Sixx.  He had the perfect mix of rock and pop that turned the music world on its head.  I would also need Bob Rock to produce it.

5. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before?

Rock songs with pop hooks that deal with the emotions of relationships and how they define the mind.

6. What’s the best thing about being a musician?

The older I get the more I realize that music is freedom and allows you shed everything that is going on in your life and be the artist you want to be on stage and freely speak your mind.  Music lifts you up into your true state of mind.

7. When the band are all hanging out together, who cooks; who gets the drinks in; and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

This is pretty easy to define for the Lovehammers: Billy always has the acoustic guitar and is usually strumming something like John Denver “Country Roads” and inciting the sing along. Dino is an absolutely AMAZING chef.  He actually makes a salad dressing from scratch that is so good I crave it weekly.  Bob orders up the band a case of Amstel Light as part of the tour rider at every gig and Bob is the only one that likes Amstel Light. Why can’t we just get some Coors Light?!?!

8. If you weren’t a musician, what would be your dream job?

Surfer.  I have only surfed a few times in my life but I feel like a life of hanging out at the beach would be pretty flippin’ amazing.

9. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over”?

I took an equal number of right steps in my career as I did the wrong steps. That is what creates the unique sway of every artist. All of the steps have taken me to where I am today and is the foundation of what created my album The Ground You Walk On.

10. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Pink Floyd recording Dark Side of the Moon. First off, they recorded it at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. I am always amazed at the moment Pink Floyd is recording and then Syd Barrett whom originally started the band and was later removed from the band walked into Abbey Road to visit with the band and say hello. The band is essentially writing songs about Syd and his going insane and there he is sitting in the studio staring right back at them. It has to be one of the most epic moments in the history of rock!

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Category: Interviews