I have no idea how this record and I found each other– though I DID used to live in Columbus, Ohio, where the band is from. I was always moving back and forth from Columbus to Kokomo like some kind of a Interstate 70 yo-yo. The album cover is so bad (some cartoon drawings) it could possibly be genius. It’s a homemade deal. Yet it’s quality vinyl and sounds better than anything released this Millennium. One side is labeled “Punk???” and the other side is Pop??? — and those are apt designations. The punk side is better, one can only hope the K’s went in that direction. I have to admit that I’m not sure if my turntable here at HQ is running at the right speed. I’ll have to take it home to the state of the art system to double check. Anyway, here, the singer (Kevyn) sounds a LOT like Jad Fair, in a really pleasing way, I mean. That is a good thing.
There is band info included inside that was typed on an *actual typewriter* and then photocopied, I would guess, on a broken down copier inside the front door of a United Dairy Farmers convenience store. Kevyn’s last name is, you guessed it– Kasualty. The only name I recognize is Nudge Squidfish, unless I’m mixing that up with someone else faintly nautical. NS plays bass. Rudy Krash plays N Burn Drums (or is it Rudy Krash N Burn plays Drums?) and KK sings and plays guitar– and very well. He is the best guitarist (besides Jimi Hendrix) ever to play guitar. I’m convinced. I take that back about the Pop??? side being inferior. This is a great record. It may be the best record of whatever year it came out, though there is no date anywhere to be found. I’ll have to consult with the Smithsonian.
I looked up Kevyn and The Kasualties on the big W and found this article: http://www.cringe.com/issues/7.3/misc.shtml (which I haven’t read entirely yet– though what I read was really interesting) about them, and I guess Kevyn died in 1997. This made me sad, even though it was 10 years ago, because I had probably met him at some point, and I certainly was at some of the same shows over the years. (I also saw in that article that this woman from a really great band, The Blunt Stitches, had died at some point.)
It’s kind of freaking me out, reviewing these records, looking them up, and finding about people dying. (The last three, including the drummer of The Knack, and a guy in Klaatu, who just died this August.) I almost feel like I shouldn’t write any more of these reviews– like I’m somehow causing all this demise, but I don’t profess to have any real connection to God (though it’s been mentioned that in appearance I resemble His son).
The really weird thing is that I took my Kevyn and the K’s record home and listened to it and it sounded like 100 times better! It seems my turntable at the office runs too fast. Kevyn doesn’t actually sound like Jad Fair, but more like Joey Ramone. Also, I realized that someone had cut one of the phono plugs off the turntable at the office. Which is odd, since Keith Busch doesn’t even work here. So I was getting, not even mono, half of stereo. At home the recording revealed a lot of subtlety, and I guess by this time it started to grow on me. I have decided that I REALLY like this record, I won’t try selling it on ebay, I’m going to keep it, and more significantly, I’m going to listen to it again!
Hi…that came out in 1986…glad u liled it
There is now a Kasualties MySpace page with some downloads. http://www.myspace.com/576185562