Early years
The Casualties were formed in 1990, with original members Jorge Herrera (vocals) Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums). The members aimed to return to what they viewed as the "golden era" of street punk, embodied by bands such as The Exploited and Charged GBH which they believed had disappeared by 1985.[3] During the early years, the lineup was fluid, with several changes. That first year, Colin stepped out for several months to finish his education while Rachel, TheRivits' singer, took his place.[3]
In 1991, Hank left the band, to be replaced by Fred (last name unknown) on guitar. Colin, Jorge, Yureesh, Hank and Mark put together a demo, titled Political Sin, for the Benefit for Beer compilation.[4] After making this recording, Fred left to go to school and Steve, from Distraught, fills in for a short time, until Fred returns to the band full-time. The 4 song EP, 40 Oz. Casualty was recorded at the end of 1991 and self-released.[3] 1992 saw the band touring and building up a fan base in NYC. In 1993, Mark and Fred left the band and were replaced by Mike (last name unknown) on bass and Jake Kolatis on the guitar, followed by the departure of Yureesh and Colin in 1994, to be replaced on drums by Shawn, while the band went down to a single vocalist.[3][4] 1994 sees the recording of the 4 song EP, Drinking Is Our Way Of Life, however it would not be released. The songs would later appear on the Casualties "early years 1990-1995" CD in 1999.[4] In 1995, the band's second release, the 4 track A Fuckin' Way Of Life E.P. was released on Eyeball Records. After recording A Fuckin' Way of Life, Shawn left the band, and Marc Eggers (nicknamed Meggers) of the Rivits became the regular drummer. The line-up of Jorge, Jake, Mike and Meggers continued until 1997.
In 1996 the Casualties became the first American band to appear at the "Holidays in the Sun" Festival in London. 1997 saw the release of the band's debut album, For the Pun is released on Tribal War Records, and the band embarks on its first American tour with The Varukers. Mike (the bassist) left the band in 1998, to be replaced with Johnny Rosado, from The Krays.[4][5] They released their second LP that year, Underground Army, and begin a world tour. Jon leaves the band during the European leg of the tour, to be temporarily replaced by Dave Punk Core.
Present lineup
After the world tour, Dave would be replaced by Rick Lopez from the band, Manix. The line-up was now solidified for the band and would continue to the present day.[6] The end of the millennium, 1999, saw the band produce a compilation album, Early Years 1990-1995, which included tracks which appeared on earlier ED's, as well as never before released songs, such as the four songs they had recorded on the never released EP Drinking is Our Way of Life back in 1994.
The 2000s have seen the band continue to tour[3][6] and produce albums (an album list can be seen below). They have toured with several other bands, such as The Exploited, GBH, Cockney Rejects, Slaughter & the Dogs,[4] and the English Dogs.[6] In December 2009, The Casualties toured alongside Hatebreed, The Acacia Strain, Crowbar, and Thy Will Be Done as part of the Stillborn Fest.[3] In the summer of 2012, The Casualties co-headlined the Tonight We Unite tour along with Nekromantix, where they played For The Punx in its entirety, the first time they had played the album through since its release in 1997.[3] Later that year, The Casualties released their new album titled Resistance through Season of Mist.[7][8] In 2013, The Casualties played at the largest Punk Rock festival in the world,[9] the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, England, where they shared the stage with The Exploited, Special Duties, Chron Gen and Anti-Establishment, and others
Static Feedback and Noise
The Casualties Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sick sick sick, we need a fucking change
Sick sick sick, their groups are such a waste
Sick sick sick, I need anger in my brain
Listen to the sound of the poets of today
All on tour, right clothes, no heart and soul
The ones on top don't care about you
You, star on TV, you're fucking hell to me
You, in the underground, your head got too big
You, two of a kind what a fucking waste of time
Raise my finger in the air, I'll show you how
It's done
Noise, give me static and feedback
Sick sick sick, of the music of today
Sick sick sick, we need a fucking change
Sick sick, their groups are such a waste
Sick sick sick, I need anger in my brain
Listen to the sound of the poets of today
All on tour, right clothes, no heart and soul
The ones on top don't care about you
The ones on the bottom, they'll use you to get rich
You, star on TV, you're fucking hell to me
You, in the underground, your head got too big
You, two of a kind what a fucking waste of time
Raise my finger in the air, I'll show you how
It's done
Noise, give me static and feedback
Bring back the old days of the Ramones
Bring back those fast two minute songs
Give me that two fingers in the air
Cause punk is back and is back to stay
You, the rebels with the fucking ripped up clothes
You, can't follow any leader or any cause
You, that shouts and sweats at every show
Raise your finger in the air and show them how
Its done
The Casualties’s song Static Feedback and Noise reflects a sense of disillusionment and disgust towards the current state of music industry, which is commercialized and devoid of any real substance. The repeated phrase “sick sick sick” emphasizes the band’s feelings of dissatisfaction with the current music scene. The lyrics also highlight the lack of heart, soul and authenticity in many of today’s popular musicians, who are more concerned about their appearance and monetary gain rather than their music's message. The band takes a dig at the industry and points out that both mainstream and underground musicians exploit their fans for profit.
The song calls for a return to the golden age of punk when bands like the Ramones ruled the underground music scene. It glorifies the punk subculture and celebrates its rebellious and anti-authoritarian essence. The mention of “two fingers in the air” is a symbol of punk’s iconic defiance and resistance to mainstream culture. The song invokes a sense of nostalgia for what punk music once was- raw, fast, straightforward and uncompromising. It acts as a rallying cry for those who believe that punk should be more than a commodity and should have meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Sick sick sick, of the music of today
Tired and fed up with the mainstream music of today
Sick sick sick, we need a fucking change
Urgent need for a radical shift in the music industry
Sick sick sick, their groups are such a waste
Disappointment in the current music groups and artists
Sick sick sick, I need anger in my brain
Desire for lyrics and music that express anger and frustration
Listen to the sound of the poets of today
Pay attention to the lyrics of modern-day musicians
All on tour, right clothes, no heart and soul
They lack passion and authenticity despite their popularity
The ones on top don't care about you
Mainstream artists prioritize commercial success over connecting with their audience
The ones on the bottom, they'll use you to get rich
Emerging artists may exploit their fans to gain fame and fortune
You, star on TV, you're fucking hell to me
Mainstream artists are offensive and insincere to the artist
You, in the underground, your head got too big
Independent artists are becoming arrogant and losing authenticity
You, two of a kind what a fucking waste of time
Both mainstream and underground artists are unappealing to the singer
Raise my finger in the air, I'll show you how It's done
Demonstrating how to make authentic and passionate music
Noise, give me static and feedback
Desire for loud and raw music with distorted sounds
Bring back the old days of the Ramones
Longing for the authentic and simplistic punk sound of the past
Bring back those fast two minute songs
Yearning for the short and energetic punk songs of the past
Give me that two fingers in the air
The punk rock gesture of defiance and rebellion
Cause punk is back and is back to stay
Confident assertion that punk rock will prevail
You, the rebels with the fucking ripped up clothes
Addressing the rebellious and non-conformist punk fans
You, can't follow any leader or any cause
Punk fans reject mainstream values and ideologies
You, that shouts and sweats at every show
Punk fans are passionate and energetic at concerts
Raise your finger in the air and show them how It's done
Encouraging punk fans to assert their rebellious spirit
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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