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| Photos by Nancy Mantick of BBE Photography |
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Recipe For Success
Interview by Christina Avina
The music industry is difficult entity to navigate and understand at times. Being behind the scenes somewhat doing what
I do has definitely opened my eyes to a lot, some good and some bad. One thing that has always intrigued me is trying to
figure out what makes one band successful while another might be struggling. Talent definitely is important, naturally, but
there is much more to it than that. There are plenty of stories out there in the industry of bands with tremendous potential
who don't get that big break, or bands in turmoil who wither away, never to be heard from again. So what is the perfect recipe
for success in this business?
When I spoke with The Lovehammers lead vocalist Marty Casey recently, he put things into perspective for me. Two of the
most important attributes to having a successful music career are drive and determination, and if anyone knows how to use
them to their full advantage it's Marty Casey. He is the epitome of drive, and with both his and the band's determination
over the past 14+ years they are reaping the rewards they so richly deserve. Since The Lovehammers inception back in 1994
(then known as The Swinging Lovehammers), the band has released several albums, EP's, DVD's and is currently working on another
full-length album. In the process they have garnered a legion of devoted fans that call themselves the Hammerheads, and when
I say they are devoted I am not using that word loosely. From the very moment the Hammerheads found out I would be interviewing
Marty, I have received e-mails and messages on Myspace thanking me repeatedly for doing the interview. It could have been
the worst interview ever done in the history of interviews, but they couldn't care less. They were just happy to know one
is coming. Now that's what I called devoted.
The world has seen what happens when a great rock musician appears on a reality show and then goes on to embark on a very
successful career. A good case in point would be Chris Daughtry of American Idol fame, and current front man of Daughtry.
No disrespect at all intended here towards Chris or the band, but the sad thing in my opinion is that rising to fame on a
show as big as Idol has at times overshadowed an obviously talented performer and his equally talented band. The reality
show bubble is tough to escape from in some instances. Marty has some experience in this regard, having been shot into the
spotlight while performing on the rock reality show Rockstar INXS. Widely considered a favorite to win the show overall,
Marty had the support of his bandmates and fans up through the finale where he finished as runner up. While to some this
was a shocking outcome, I think overall it was a blessing for The Lovehammers. Marty's run on the show brought serious attention
to the band and their talented front man, and the man himself seemed truly inspired from the experience. That has meant nothing
but good things for the band as a whole, and we expect this upcoming full length album to blow the Hammerheads away once again.
Marty took some time out of his busy schedule recently to talk with me about the course of his career, The Lovehammers,
their amazing fans, and gave me some great insight into what it takes to be successful as an artist in this industry. You
can hear the full audio interview below. Thanks to Marty for his time, and to the Hammerheads for patiently waiting for this
interview. Enjoy!
Be sure to check out The Lovehammers on Myspace at the link below. There are also two great sites to check out, MartyCasey.org
and The Lovehammers official site.
Lovehammers on Myspace
Official Lovehammers Site
Marty Casey Official
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