Norfolk - The Casualties were set with the task of opening up for GWAR at the NorVa on December 30, 2010.  For those that are familiar with GWAR’s theatrical stage performance, it is a feat for any band to keep this bloodthirsty crowd at bay.  The GWAR following is very loyal, wearing white while impatiently awaiting Oderus Urungus’ huge, dangling man-member to spray a bevy of assorted bodily fluids.  The hard-hitting Casualties came to the rescue and lulled the audience into a slam dancing, moshing coma with their fast-paced guitar and angst-ridden lyrics.  The Casualties have been bringing it to the punk rock scene since 1990, and singer/guitarist Jake Kolatis still possesss that young rebelliousness and mischievous smile that I picked up on as soon as he walked into the room.

33: First, let me say I am a big fan of the raw, straightforward, hard-hitting punk you guys deliver.  So you guys say you are "street punk" - can you define what that means to you?
Jake Kolatis: Record companies would label music into whatever genre was popular, and they would call bands punk that had no reason to be called punk.  We said, "Let's be our own thing."  That’s where street punk came into play.  It’s not where we are trying to label this band to sell it as what is popular.  You can see it has always been a kinda harder style of punk rock which also mixes with metal, which is why we are on this tour.

33: You guys are really punk - punk that I love, and is awesome, and you know there will be a pit.  Who are some of your influences?
JK: It varies.  For just purposes of music that people know, it would be anywhere from Iron Maiden to Discharge to more rare stuff, cause we like truly obscure punk rock like Parsons, and even more obscure stuff like Court Marshall, and then to bands that only have, like, only two 7" out in the early 80s.

33: So tell me about your latest album and touring plans.
 JK: Our new album came out in August, and we did a U.S. tour, a European tour, Warped Tour, a South American tour, and a Central American.  Berlin is fun to tour; it is a lot like New York.  When we are done playing, I like to go mingle and hang out and talk and ask them how their life is out there and what bands they are into and learn about the cultural stuff.

33: Do you have a favorite band you toured with or anyone you would like to tour with you haven’t had a chance to yet?
JK: I always wanted to go on tour with Slayer - that would be cool.  I would like to open up for Metallica or Motorhead.  Manson would be cool.  I had a great time touring with Bad Religion in early 2003 and had fun touring with Flogging Molly.  The Crumb Bums were a really fun band - good to tour with.  They supported us, but they were fun on the road.  It is just fun when everyone has a good vibe to hang out with.  There are some dudes that just take the fun out of it.  When there is someone that throws an attitude or a big ego problem out there I don’t put up with it well at all.  When we tour together, we are like our own little crew out there; we gotta stick together.

33: So Ramones or Sex Pistols?
JK: You know what, the Ramones, but fuckin' one album the Pistols made, jeez... [shakes his head]

33: Hard to compare to someone with so many albums and so many tours.
JK: I always liked the Pistols, but now I am sort of shifting a little more  to the Ramones.  They have more of a catalog to celebrate.  That’s why I like Motorhead; you can listen to, like, one of every 15 albums and never hear the same thing.

33: So I see you actually own some tattoo shops…
JK: I actually own a tattoo shop - one in downtown Jersey City.

33: So what inspired you to get a tat shop?
JK: I wanted to do something when the band would be touring.  I wanted something to come home to, some kinda work to keep busy.  I feel like I was kinda drinking and pissing my money away and what little you come back with.  I had to do something that fits my lifestyle to work on when I am home, so I can come home and just go to work.

33: How many artists do you have?
JK: Right now there are my two partners, Adam Patterson and Chuck Daily, tattooing for ten years each.  They are amazing artists.  We are all in the same age, and we all three did it together.

33: When I am in the area I am so coming in for a tattoo - I am going to tell you that right now.
JK: The site is JerseyCityTattoo.com.  So cool, if you are up our way check us out.

33: This is a silly question, but I have to know... How long it takes you to do your hair?
JK: I don’t really time it.  It is not that bad; I have been doing it for so long.  It is like someone brushing their teeth or brushing their hair.  It is part of my routine.  It’s one side of a record; you flip the record to the other side, and you should be done in 15 or 20 minutes.

33: Is your song "40 Ounce Casualty" geared towards anything?  I got from your pictures you aren’t straight edge or anything...
JK: Yeah, we are a party band.  George doesn’t drink anymore, but the other three of us do.  We are no strangers to drinks.  40 Ounce Casualty is a 7" that came out in 1993.  People change, but do we all hang out still like that?  Sure, but we were all 17 years younger when that came out.  People change in three years, you know, and we are still into stuff, but lifestyles have changed some.  Are we into it?  Yeah, but we can’t just keep singing about getting fucked up, but it was fun for that record.  It was kinda tongue-in-cheek because the straight edge thing was huge and everything, and there was a lot of little gang wars.  It was in our younger years, but once in a while we still play that.

33: Is there something that people would find surprising about you that they would not expect from a punk with a mohawk and a tattoo shop?
JK: I bought a Foghat LP the other day; maybe they wouldn’t think I listen to that.  No, I work out a lot, go to the gym to counteract some of the things I do, so I think I am going to start training, too, at some point.  I always had a fascination to do a marathon in the city.  It is like 25 or 26 miles, and before I die I would like to do the Ironman competition.

33: I would be impressed.  That’s insane to do either one.
JK: Well, trust me, I would have a lot of work ahead of me.  I am thinking my new year’s resolution will be the marathon, a long run.

The interview ended with a hug from Jake and a "Thank you so much."  I sat and stared out the window at the front bar of the NorVa watching the ice skaters at the MacArthur mall while being bombarded with the sounds of radio pop.  It seemed a surreal setting for a metal show - a vast contrast to the blood and gore that would be coming up in a few hours.  The show started up, and I found myself pleasantly impressed by all of the bands on the bill.  The Casualties were preceded by two metal bands (Mobile Death Camp and Inferaeon), each providing their own brand of hard-hitting musical musings.  This combination led to the creation of a punk rock creaminess served up in the middle of a heavy metal cookie.  They formed a delectable, mouthwatering treat that satisfied a heavy music craver’s sweet tooth.  As the Casualties show came to an end, GWAR blasted me with a burst of blood from their Lady Gaga representation.  I knew this had been a night... oh, what a night.

MySpace.com/TheCasualties

By Photojournalist: Kerri Killion

Kerri Killion has lived in the Hampton Roads area for the majority of her life.  Her curiosity and creativity always had her viewing the world through different eyes.  She was immediately drawn to the artistic side of life.  An artist and writer, Kerri found herself interested in photography at a young age.  Soon viewing the world through her camera became second nature.  In 2007, she started Inner Vision Artistry as a way to show her photography to the world.

Her love for music including punk, metal, psychobilly, and hardcore naturally led her to an interest in band photography.  This journey has now led her to Magazine33.