See also "The Casualties Talk Cops: 'Dude, Have a F#$%in' Beer, Relax, Stop Abusing Your Power.'"
Punks don't dance. They mosh, pogo, slam, skank, stage-dive, crowd-surf, and circle jerk.
So expect a raging riot when the Tonight We Unite tour and 1000 nasty maniacs rage into Downtown Miami's Grand Central, swinging their arms, elbows, combat boots, bike chains, and mohawked heads in the pit while The Casualties, Nekromantix, Down By Law, Flatfoot 56, and The Sheds shred the fucking stage.
In anticipation, we here at Crossfade called Casualties drummer Meggers to talk about battle scars, the suburbs, and why techno sucks.
Crossfade: How did the Tonight We Unite Tour come abput, who put it together?
Meggers: The tour was put together by our management company, Mercenary Management. It's like the bands that would be at a punk rock festival, but more like in a night club setting.
Do you know the other bands?
Us and the Lower Class Brats have been friends on and off, and playing together for 15 years. We just met The Sheds. They're great kids, a good young band. Flatfoot 56, we sort of known them since 2010. Down By Law we know the history of Dag Nasty and DYS, and they're awesome dudes. Nekromantix we've never played with before, but we met Kim at a Horrorpops show. So we're making some new friends, and seing some old faces.
What's the story behind the first victim of the tour getting 27 stitches in the face?
I saw the kid at the beginning of the night. Supernice kid, who got kicked by mistake, right above the eye. And then he was talkin' to me like it was nothin' and I was like, "Go to the hospital." He came back afterward like, "Sorry I missed you guys."
What's the difference between city life and suburban life?
Shit, I've lived in both. I grew up in the suburbs. Kids grow up quicker in the city, they're more street smart. The suburbs are more lenient, and more fun a lot longer. Either way, it doesn't matter. It's all the same. We all got in this music 'cause we love it.
How did the band name come about?
'Cause when the band formed in the early '90s, there was no spikey haired bands left. It was all peace punks and crust. We felt like the scene was dead and we were The Casualties.
What was The Casualties Corner?
It's right off St. Mark's Place, and we used to just hang out all day and drink and smoke and spare change. Those were the days. The glory days. Or the not-so-glory days.
What do you think of electronic music?
Nah, fuck that stuff. I can't. We all listen to our fair share of terrible music, but not that.
Drum machines?
I'm a drummer. I need to hear a real drum.
What if you got asked to play an electronic festival?
We played some strange festival like that in Sweden. It was a couple of punk and indie rock bands in a raver hippy fest. I tried to listen, but I wasn't on enough ecstasy or whatever.
Do you consider a turntable an instrument?
Yeah, I seen people do amazing stuff with those.
What do you think of Tiesto?
What's that?
Tonight We Unite Tour. With The Casualties, Nekromantix, Down by the Law, Lower Class Brats, Flatfoot 56, and The Sheds. Friday, July 27. Grand Central, 697 N. Miami Ave. Miami. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $15 plus fees via fla.vor.us. Ages 18 and up. Call 305-377-2277 or visit grandcentralmiami.com.
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