Joe Casey (musician)
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Joseph Kevin Barry Casey (born January 31, 1977) is an American musician based out of
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
band
Protomartyr A protomartyr (Koine Greek, ''prôtos'' 'first' + ''mártus'' 'martyr') is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Protomartyr (with no other qualification of ...
. He is known for his distinctive vocal style, "anti-charisma ic stage presence, and sardonic, literary lyrics which often incorporate philosophical themes. He is also responsible for creating the band's visual aesthetic.


Early life

Casey was born to an
Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
family and is the youngest of 3 children. He grew up on 6 Mile on the north-west side of Detroit, which he remembers as an "idyllic corner" of the city when he was a child; his house described as being "the last ..on a dead-end street, surrounded by a school, a church, and a monastery." However, by the time he was a teenager, his street had become prone to frequent shootings and stabbings, including one on his next door neighbor's lawn when he was just 12. His father - a construction inspector for the
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is a public utility that provides water and sewerage services for Detroit, Michigan and owns the assets that provide water and sewerage services to 126 other communities in seven counties. It is one ...
- was a fan of history, which in turn encouraged his interest in the field later on. Solitary in nature and fond of playing video games, he remembers being an avid reader as a child, treating it as "a competition ..to see who mong his siblingscould read the most". He attended the
University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was founded in 1877, and is one of two Society of Jesus, Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, the other being Loyola High School (Detroit, Michigan), Loyola High Sc ...
and remembers being a good student, though he describes his academic performance in college -
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
- as being "pretty bad". He recalls trying to learn the
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
in grade school, calling the attempt a "failure on ispart." His school friends included many future musicians, including the members of
garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...
band Tyvek (whom he would accompany on a few of their tours and cite as an influence on Protomartyr's music). However, while many of them left for places like
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
or
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Casey himself chose to stay in Detroit and worked a number of odd-end jobs after film school, a period during which "he drank, ndgot depressed." One of them included the job of a doorman at the
Gem Theatre Gem Theatre or Gem Theater may refer to: * Gem Theatre (Detroit) * Gem Theater (Deadwood, South Dakota) * Gem Theatre (Kannapolis, North Carolina) * Gem Theater (New Orleans) *Gem Theater (Pioche, Nevada) The Gem Theater is a movie theater in P ...
, where he met and became close to guitarist Greg Ahee - then playing in a "caustic
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
" band named Butt Babies with bassist Scott Davidson and drummer Alex Leonard (grandson of
Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest no ...
). In March 2008, while on a trip to Texas with Tyvek, his 72-year-old father died due to complications during a routine hernia surgery. His death acted as a "wake-up call" to Casey, and would subsequently have a huge impact on his lyricism. He and Butt Babies started to jam together in 2010, soon adopting the name "Protomartyr" - referencing
Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...
. Kevin Boyer of Tyvek briefly played bass and later second guitar for the band during their early days, before having to leave due to a heavy work schedule. With the brief exception of
Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been the lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and the Ke ...
joining the band as a touring member in 2020, the band have primarily remained a quartet ever since.


Career

Since 2010 and up until today, Protomartyr have released more than 6 studio albums and 3 EPs worth of material, and all of their songs have featured Joe Casey on vocals. He is also solely responsible for the band's lyricism across the entirety of their studio output - the only exception being a cover of
Preoccupations Preoccupations is a Canadian post-punk band from Calgary, Alberta, formed in 2012 under the name Viet Cong. The band consists of Matt Flegel (vocals, bass), Scott Munro (guitar, synth), Daniel Christiansen (guitar) and Mike Wallace (drums). Fleg ...
' "Forbidden" (released on a split single, with Preoccupations' cover of the track " Pontiac 87" as the B-side). Aside from their 2012 debut '' No Passion All Technique'' - which was later reissued in 2019 to positive reviews - all of Protomartyr's albums, including 2018's ''
Consolation Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss and ...
'' EP, have received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator website
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the band's discography (excluding their debut and including the ''Consolation'' EP) has an average score of 83/100, indicating " iversal claim". '' The Agent Intellect'' and '' Relatives in Descent'' even managed to break the top 5 of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s
Top Heatseekers The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart, and songs from these two albums have been featured in TV shows such as ''
13 Reasons Why ''13 Reasons Why'' (also stylized as ''TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY'') is an American teen drama television series based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. Developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and with Selena Gomez ser ...
'', '' The Rain'' and ''
The OA The Oa ( ) () is a rocky peninsula in the southwest of the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. It is an RSPB nature reserve. Area The area is roughly circular, with a radius of about 4 km, and connects with the rest of the island at a neck ...
''. They have extensively toured around the world and have performed at multiple noteworthy festivals such as
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
,
CMJ Music Marathon CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
, and the
Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...
. Casey has also performed as a guest on numerous other records. He provides backing vocals on Tyvek's 2012 album ''On Triple Beams'' (alongside Greg Ahee). He sings lead vocals on the tracks "Rope" and "Slang Words" by The Gotobeds off of their 2016 & 2019 albums ''Blood Sugar Secs Traffic'' and ''Debt Begins At 30'' respectively. He is also credited as the composer of the track "Why'd You?" off of the former album.


Artistry


Lyricism and themes

According to an interview with ''
Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 201 ...
'', Casey writes lyrics after listening to the music composed by the rest of the band. He spoke of his writing process in a
Reddit AMA r/IAmA is a Reddit#Subreddits, subreddit for question-and-answer interactive interviews termed "AMA" (short for "Ask Me Anything"). AMA interviewees have ranged from various celebrities to everyday people in several lines of work. Founded in Ma ...
:
It changes from song to song. I will say I tend to go the "
stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. It is usually in the form of an interior monologue which ...
" route at first BUT then heavily edit, add context, and then heavily edit again. Editing is the key.
Casey has been called the group's "wild card" due to his lyrics, described as " free-associative" and "
blue collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...
" "
beat poetry The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...
". His lyrics often consist of references to pre-
Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
sources such as Greek philosophy & mythology. For example, the lyrics to "A Private Understanding" reference
Heraclitus Heraclitus (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, ...
, while "Bridge & Crown" references the deity
Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...
. The philosophical concept of
existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
also informs a lot of his writing. He has often cited
Irish literature Irish literature is literature written in the Irish, Latin, English and Scots ( Ulster Scots) languages on the island of Ireland. The earliest recorded Irish writing dates from back in the 7th century and was produced by monks writing in ...
as a big influence on his lyrics, a ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' interview noting that he'd "daydream" in college of being to Detroit what
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
was to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
. He has cited ''
Cré na Cille ( )) is an Irish language novel by Máirtín Ó Cadhain. It was first published in 1949 and is considered one of the greatest novels written in Irish. Title literally means "Earth of the Church"; it has also been translated as ''Graveyard Cl ...
'' by
Máirtín Ó Cadhain Máirtín Ó Cadhain (; 20 January 1906 – 18 October 1970) was one of the most prominent Irish language writers of the twentieth century. Perhaps best known for his 1949 novel , ÓCadhain played a key role in reintroducing modernist literatur ...
as an inspiration for the track "Caitriona", and has mentioned Flann O'Brian's writings as coming "closest to a style epoorly
ries to Ries is the German word for a unit of paper ream, derived from the Arabic word ''rizma''. The term can refer to: Geography * Nördlinger Ries, a large circular depression in western Bavaria, Germany. * Ries (Graz), a district of the city of Gra ...
emulate from time to time." He references the insights of recurring O'Brian character,
De Selby De Selby (spelled "de Selby" in ''The Third Policeman'' and "De Selby" in ''The Dalkey Archive'') is a fictional character originally created by Flann O'Brien for his novel ''The Third Policeman'', in which the nameless narrator intends to use ...
, in "A Private Understanding", particularly through lines such as "the night is an accumulation of dark air." According to
Ben Ratliff Ben Ratliff (born 1968 in New York City) is an American journalist, music critic and author. Biography Ratliff is the son of an English mother and an American father, growing up in London and in Rockland County, New York. From 1996 to 2016, ...
- who considers '' The Agent Intellect'' to contain " me of the strongest lyrics of 2015" - Casey's lyrics often render "Detroit as a pile of symbols and emotions". "Casey writes lyrics about the lives of the working class and dystopian visions from the heartland", writes Lauretta Charlton for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', noting - as have other sources, including Casey himself - the influence Detroit has had on his lyrics. His lyrics on '' Relatives in Descent'' have been labeled by many as political, despite Casey refusing to label it an "anti-
Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
" album, finding it no less political than the band's previous releases up until that point.
Ana da Silva Ana Paula de Lima Pita da Silva is a musician, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Career Born in Madeira island of Portugal, she grew up without television and little access to popular culture. She had exposu ...
of
The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British post-punk band formed in 1977. They were founded by Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) while the two were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Other prominent members have included ...
compares his apocalyptic lyricism on ''
Ultimate Success Today ''Ultimate Success Today'' is the fifth studio album by American post-punk band Protomartyr. Thematically inspired by lead singer Joe Casey's mid-life crisis in the wake of the band's debut being reissued, the album - conceived as a "valediction" ...
'' - with its "theme of things ending, above all human existence" - to
Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
's ''
The Road ''The Road'' is a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. The book details the grueling journey of a father and his young son over several months across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed ...
''.
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...
finds Casey's "pre-cognitive powers" in his lyricism on the album to be similar to those of
Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...
, one of many critics/sources to find similarities between the two as well.


Vocal style and live performances

Casey has been described as having a
baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...
and a "half spoken, half sung" '' sprechsang'' vocal style, which he pejoratively describes as "mumbling". It has been compared to
Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, lyricist and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown Pleasures'' (197 ...
,
Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
and
Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistol ...
. Casey has often been singled out in reviews of Protomartyr's live performances. In fact, humorous critical descriptions of his introverted appearance and "anti-charisma ic onstage persona have even been compiled on a widely referenced
Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...
blog titled ''DESCRIPTIONS OF JOE CASEY''. “Joe is one of the best lead singers right now,”
Parquet Courts Parquet Courts is an American rock music, rock band from New York City. The band consists of Andrew Savage (artist), Andrew Savage (vocals, guitar), Austin Brown (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Sean Yeaton (bass, vocals), and Max Savage (drums). H ...
’ Andrew Savage claimed in an interview with ''Spin'', “His whole stage thing is awesome, but it’s not even a ‘thing’—it's just who he is.” Casey suffers from
stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...
, and claims that on-stage drinking - a common feature of his live performances, where he brings "at least 6 beers" - helps him deal with it.


Artwork

Casey is responsible for the entirety of Protomartyr's album and flyer artwork, and consciously chooses to leave them uncredited. He describes his process and the origins of his aesthetic as follows:
Well, the printing process is me going to
FedEx FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...
Kinko's and fudging around with the copiers there. Just tape and scissors and a rudimentary understanding of how the xeroxs work. I stumbled into "my aesthetic" that way. And being rushed and reusing a previous show flyer for the first two albums cemented the strong, simple portrait as my cover manifesto.
He also listed his influences as follows:
I grew up with a bunch of
Frederic Remington Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United Sta ...
books which affected me deeply. I like
Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
, of course. Old punk flyers.
Lucian Freud Lucian Michael Freud (; 8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011) was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. His early career as a painter was inf ...
and
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...
.
Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (also Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi da Caravaggio; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the fina ...
.
Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...
,
Théodore Géricault Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (; 26 September 1791 – 26 January 1824) was a French painter and lithographer, whose best-known painting is '' The Raft of the Medusa''. Despite his short life, he was one of the pioneers of the Romanti ...
, etc. etc.
All of his artwork is displayed on his blog title
These Hungry Times


Personal life

According to an interview conducted in 2020, Casey still lives in his family house on 6 Mile Road. He originally lived there with his mother, until he and his brothers decided to relocate her to the suburbs due to her worsening
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
in 2014. Her affliction was the inspiration behind the lyrics to the song "Why Does It Shake?". Casey's mother died in 2021. Casey got engaged the following year, and got married in Detroit on May 20, 2023. Casey is a "movie lover", and his favorite games include ''
NFL Blitz ''NFL Blitz'' is a series of American football themed video game originally released by Midway featuring National Football League (NFL) teams. It began as a 1997 arcade game '' NFL Blitz'' that was ported to home consoles and spawned a series of ...
'' and ''
Red Dead Redemption 2 ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in a fictiona ...
''. He is a life-long fan of the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
.


References


External links


Interview with Ben Ratliff in 2015Interview with Stitcher in 2015Interview with Vish Khanna in 2016Interview with Vish Khanna in 2017Interview with Face Culture in 2018Interview with Vish Khanna in 2020Interview with Aquarium Drunkard in 2020Joe Casey's public Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casey, Joe Musicians from Detroit American post-punk musicians University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni University of Michigan alumni 1977 births Living people