Reviews

Made In NYC

Casualties

Released: Sep 25, 2007
Label: SideOneDummy Records
Reviewed by: Tim Creter
9 comments

I'm a sucker for documentaries, especially on a topic I know nothing about. Why, you ask? So I can learn something. I know, it's outdated and I'm showing my age, but I like to inform myself. Coming from a band that I have heard of but never heard and now having a visual aid, I am ready to review. But before I begin, let me ask one question: is it ironic for a bunch of gutter/ squatter punks to release a DVD? That would pre-suppose the "true" fans actually owning the establishment-licensed DVD player, right? Anyways, the DVD portion of this release could have been sub-titled "Night of a Million Spikes" because, boy, there are a lot of them on stage and in the audience, hair and nickel alike. Much like black metal, to the outside observer there is no difference between band and fan. The fans are up and off and even playing on the stage with the band, so who can tell? It sure looks like a hell of a lot of fun, though. The Casualties' live show is a technicolor wash of energy and abandon that is non-stop entertainment and pretty damn tight with all the 40 oz.'s considered. However, they really are a one-trick-pony; don't look for too much depth of content or musical skill. But for story-telling, they are great. Their songs are seemingly all upbeat anthems written for group vocals. The DVD splices live footage from The Knitting Factory in NYC with the members of the band talking about their history and the way they live on and off the road. Most intriguing is hearing singer Jorge document the changing landscape of New York City itself through a street tour. As he notes, "CBGB'S is gone - Coney Island High is gone - we're still here." And they are still here for a reason: dedication to a sound, a style, and their audience. This is really a release for the true fans, with a live disc of 22 songs, the aforementioned DVD, and a pretty spanking fold-out poster. For neophytes like me, I enjoyed it but then passed it to some of the squatters down the street from me who were genuinely touched by the donation.