That life-changing opportunity usually only drops from the sky once for most people. Marty Casey didn’t miss a beat when his opportunity presented itself. The hit TV show “Rock Star: INXS” would help get him signed and allow him to pursue his dream with his band Lovehammers. Marty gives us a look behind the scenes of the “Rock Star” life, reminisces on how sneaking into a club at 12 years old would inspire his future, and talks about Lovehammers’ new project, “Set Fire.” We also get a look at the Marty Casey Silver Elements Collection, a collection of contemporary jewelry and accessories, and his mission to help American Forests.
What was it like being on “Rock Star: INXS?”
Marty: Being asked what it feels like to have been on a reality TV show is like asking someone in Roswell what it felt like to be abducted by aliens. One day you are in your understood universe and just a matter of a few weeks later (12 weeks or so) your whole world has shifted on its axis. Nearly everywhere I went immediately following the show I got a maddening amount of attention. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lead singer which screams, “Look at me, I am an attention seeker!” Attention of that magnitude makes you (or at least me) really crazy. When people ask, “Hey, are you Marty from that Rock Star show?” my response feels it should be, “Yea, I was that Marty Casey guy.” You are playing yourself but it is essentially a characterization of yourself. Viewers feel like they really got to know you in a personal sense. It’s hard to humbly react to those exchanges because they know a bit about you and you know nothing about them. It took some time to get used to being exposed. I rolled thru the experience just trying to make my family proud. That was important to me and was my guide. I took quite some time for the aliens to finally set me back down to earth and I’m glad to be back home.
How did your life change after appearing on the show?
Marty: I got what I was trying to attain for a long time…The Lucky Break. You never know where or how that break is going to come but like a tornado swiftly rolling thru the cornfields of central Illinois, it just sweeps you up in the night. I got signed to Sony/Epic and my band (Lovehammers) got to live our dream of touring on a bona fide tour bus. We got to play the music that we crafted while slugging it out in the local Chicago music scene and showcase those tunes on a national and international stage. Didn’t realize I had such a Chi-Ka-Go twang in my voice till someone in New Zealand told me I sang with a funny accent.
What have you been up to since the show? Tell us about your band Lovehammers.
Marty: We (Lovehammers) have just completed our 8th release. The working title of this new record (I know, I still call them records) is “Set Fire.” The title is from one of the new songs, “Set Fire.” It really felt like we were igniting the engines again for a new release. We took 2011 off from touring/performing and members of the band did important things like getting married and having kids. I have never taken a year off of performing. We spent 12 months in the studio but I realized that without the release of a live performance, I lie in bed at night feeling pretty unfulfilled. Performing has always been my way of getting the day’s energy out of my system. It felt like living a year in a blue walled coma…I didn’t like it. The songs are at times as dark as a well and other tunes burn like magnesium flash. I like that these songs hit hard and will play well live. I can’t sit idle much longer.
You’re the co-designer of a collection of contemporary jewelry and accessories, the Marty Casey Silver Elements Collection. What was your inspiration for the collection?
Marty: My co-creator, co-conspirator and great friend Marla Zegart had come up with a brilliant idea and had the courage to scream it aloud. Marla has an immense amount of experience in the fashion world and is incredibly driven. She saw that my pursuits with music had a similar sense of drive behind them. She thought that a fusion of music and fashion would be the perfect breeding ground for some unique creativity. We kicked around some ideas and decided to take some songs I had written and create some jewelry pieces that were inspired by these songs. We launched the first creation “Trees Dogtag” and we were amazed by the immediate response to the piece. Both Marla and I really enjoy the creative process we work thru in creating these pieces and the Silver Elements Collection keeps growing as we dream of new ideas.
Tell us about the Marty Casey Elements of Nature Fund.
Marty: Marla and I wanted to have a purpose behind the Silver Elements Collection that was beyond economics. The first piece we created was the “Trees Dogtag” and hence the tie to donating to “American Forests” thru our Elements of Nature Fund. American Forests is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country and advocates for the protection and expansion of America’s forests. Since 1990, American Forests has planted nearly 40 million trees. And like D. Elton Trueblood said, “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit.”
Who are your musical influences?
Marty: Welcome to the jungle space oddity ain’t talkin’ bout love over the hills and far away.
The most memorable concert you ever attended?
Marty: My brother sneaking me in to see “Minds Eye” at a club called Kats on the southside when I was 12 years old. He sat me on the front speaker and I saw the lead singer do a backflip in his red shoes and just light up the place with energy and I told my brother, “I wanna jump around and act crazy too!”
If you could perform with anyone in history, who would you choose?
Marty: I think it would be cool to do a synchronized jump spin hook kick off the drum riser with David Lee Roth on the World Vacation Tour for Van Halen II in 1979. Is that too specific?
Are you working on any new projects? Any tour dates coming up?
Marty: Getting everything set for the release of Lovehammers new album “Set Fire” scheduled for June 2012. Lots of tour dates will follow and I look forward to spending the second half of the year playing shows and tying the new songs into some cool new creations for Silver Elements!
Check out Marty Casey’s official website and the Lovehammers website for a tour schedule and the latest news.