6 Answers From Joey Casio

Connie Belcher /// Olympia

If you want to meet the future of music, one place to head is Olympia, WA. On the bank of Interstate 5 is the home of Joey Casio, a music maker who is poised to lead a new generation in the weapon of our future. This spring, things are going to get a little punk and a little bit smarter. Joey Casio is ready to rock. And make you dance your pants off. Yes, Please.

Joey was kind enough to provide some food for thought about music and stuff. So.

Q: Who was your first music crush?

A: I’m not quite sure what a music crush is but i do have a distinct memory of seeing Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street using a sampler and being filled with desire. For the sampler.

Q: I sing along with Attack Decay. Always fun. Where do your lyrics come from?

A: I wouldn’t say I write especially personal songs, they are more based in observations on the culture at large. Ideas emerge from books, from conversations, sometimes dreams…I have been known to steal lines from other writers and incorporate them into my work to create a kind of pomo-disco…some of my victims have included: William c. Williams, chairman Mao and Pablo Neruda.

Q: How do you know when a song is a keeper?

A: The drums, the bass line, and the phrasing of the lyrics have to gel together in a true complimentary way … and it has to work live. If there is lull in energy when I play it, I might toss it.

Q: What gets you excited musically?

A: I like seeing performers who are punk. To me, that means caring about what is going on in the world and not giving a fuck about what the world thinks of you. Whether it’s through electronics or intentional misuse of traditional instruments I like hearing adventurous timbres that that go out of the tires tones of rock music. Rhythm. Rhythm gets me excited.

Q: How is life in Olympia?

A: Cheap. Cold. Low key. Forrest-y. Friendly.

Q: Advantages and disadvantages to being a musician in Olympia?

A: I like it because there is such a large community of artists for such a small city. I know most of the audience when I play a show. And I know most have projects they are working on themselves. I feel like we are approaching each other on the same level. There is a lot of overlap between different types of counterculture that might not even meet in a bigger city.

In a bigger city? I’m not sure…i imagine there might be more opportunities to put out records, play bigger shows etc… but who knows.