Derek Obscura of the Casket Creatures.
The Fireworks may be over but Monstrosity Championship Wrestling is back at The Famous Pub culminating in a Great American Monster Mash battle royal to determine the number one contender to Phantom’s MCW Championship. The festivities also include a live performance by the Casket Creatures, celebrating the release of their new CD, SEX, BLOOD AND ROCK N ROLL.
Being that there’s a long history of rock songs with horror themes back to Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” ATLRetro couldn’t resist inviting vocalist Ryan Howard and guitarists Derek Obscura and Jamie Robertson of the Gainesville, GA.-based punk/horror band, to be our first triple-threat Kool Kats of the Week.
ATLRetro: What was your entree (musician and song) into horror-themed rock and how old were you?
Ryan: I grew up fascinated by haunted houses, Halloween, horror movies and anything spooky. My dad is a big part of this; he raised me around rock n’ roll and horror movies, and I am a better person because of it. My first experience to the horror genre in music would be my dad listening to Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath around me as a kid. I guess the rest is horror history!
Jamie: I myself was really into Danzig since I was around 13, and from Danzig I heard about the Misfits. I think the first Misfits track I heard was “Die Die My Darling,” and since then I have been hooked.
Derek: I was a bit of a late bloomer into the world of horror-rock/punk, but better late than never, they say! I was 15 and highly obsessed with the band Slipknot. Then I hear about Joey Jordison having this side band called the Murderdolls. I went out and picked up their debut, and instantly it was like a spark was set off in my brain. I played that CD nonstop for at least two or three weeks. And then from there, I found Wednesday 13’s solo CD [and] came across the Misfits, Blitzkid, etc. And here we are!
Why do you think rock and horror go together so well?
Ryan: Because the horror kids and the rock and roll kids usually are the same! We wear black shirts, listen to evil music and enjoy the darker side of life!
Derek: I think they mesh so well because both are pretty obscure subjects. Well, they CAN be. If you say “I like THE RING and Five Finger Death Punch,” that’s not obscure, that’s just lame! But throughout the years, you know, it wasn’t the “cool” thing to like horror movies, or the “cool” thing to like Rock N’ Roll,” or even wrestling! But the benefits of it are that the people are into it and REALLY dig it and get it, those people are awesome ,and it makes for a great community of like-minded people!
Ryan Howard, vocalist, The Casket Creatures.
The band was originally formed in 2006 as Brain Buffet and then reformed in 2010 as “The Casket Creatures.” When and how did the Casket Creatures get started? And why did you change the name?
Jamie: Myself and Ryan are the only two members from Brain Buffet that are also Casket Creatures. Also we didn’t want to do the exact same style with the Creatures; we wanted to be darker but more upbeat. Also instead of being straight-up punk, we wanted to add elements of other musical styles like rock ‘n’ roll and a metal flare to certain parts. The name change was just something that needed to happen. In June 2010, Ryan and myself started seriously talking about starting a new horror project which we actually got up and running in August 2010. I thought of the name one night watching old school universal horror movies. I threw the name out to the other members. They all dug it and the rest is history.
Ryan: Me and Jamie were in Brain Buffet, but the project was mainly a Halloween kind of band. A lot of cover songs, campy songs about eating brains, etc. After the band kind of dissolved we decided to form a new band that would be all about horror year-round! We wanted to have a different sound, more original songs and a nonstop show schedule. That along with the member change [is why] we decided to go with “The Casket Creatures.” Ever since we changed the name, we have had way more opportunities, so it’s been really good for us.
Jamie Robertson, guitarist, The Casket Creatures.
Who are some of your influences? In other words, for the uninitiated, are the Casket Creatures more Cramps, more Bauhaus, more Alice, more Misfits or a witches’ brew of them all?
Ryan: We have had people call us rock, metal and punk, but at the end of the day I think we have a really different sound for this genre. I think you can hear many different influences in each song, but we really work it to create the Casket Creature sound.
Derek: I would say we are a witches’ brew of a bit of everything and even more! All of us bring in a variety of different influences that are all over the place, and I think it shows in our songs.
Jamie: For me, it’s The Misfits, Alice Cooper and Danzig. More recent bands also include Slipkot and Blitzkid.
You’ve opened for such bands as Wednesday 13, Static X and Michale Graves. What’s your favorite gig so far and why?
Derek: Out of the three listed, I would have to say the Static X show for the reason that we have friends in that group as well as Davey Suicide who was on the tour also. S o it was really cool to get to see friends and hang out and them being able to see our band play. We also had some extra props for that show thanks to our pal Sam, so it made it more theatrical.
Ryan: We have had many gigs that could qualify as my favorite. Rock N’ Roll Monster Bash, Six Flags Fright Fest and the L5P Halloween Parade come to mind first for me. But out of those three, I would say Wednesday 13. We played great that night, we had an amazing crowd, and we made some DIEHARD fans that night.
Jamie: Little 5 Points Halloween Parade 2012. The crowd was insane, and we played really well.
Your new album is called SEX, BLOOD AND ROCK N ROLL. What’s it about and where can we get a CD or download a copy?
Ryan: SEX, BLOOD AND ROCK N ROLL is the album I have always wanted to make. It really shows what the band can do, and it really sets the bar high for the next release! Which by the way we are already talking about. The new album can be picked up on CDBABY, ITunes, Spotify and just about anywhere you can download music. I would just buy a copy at the MCW show Friday personally!
Do you have any special plans for Friday night?
Ryan: Just a killer set that showcases a lot of new material that has barely been played out live! Oh, and [it’s] the first show that our CD will be available at!
What else makes Monstrosity Championship Wrestling special, and why should folks come out to the show, whether or not they are wrestling fans?
Derek: Where else can you see someone get beat up by The Invisible Man?! It is a great time all the time. I think it’s just very entertaining, and for people who aren’t into wrestling, they can still enjoy it because it’s just a night of excitement. There is the wrestling, you have live bands playing, they give out prizes, and you never know what’s going to happen!
Jamie: MCW is something that can be appreciated by anyone not just wrestling fans. From music to horror and even comedy, MCW is a full entertainment package.
What’s next for the Casket Creatures?
Jamie: Getting back into the full swing of playing live shows now that the album is out. I would also like to work on an EP or split with the new line-up. There are also some side projects in this band I would like to get out for everyone to hear. Another [thing] I would also like to put out with the Creatures in the future is some kind of concept album.
Ryan: Hopefully more out of state shows! We consider ourselves an Atlanta band at this point because that’s where we feel at home. And honestly Atlanta has the best horror scene around in my opinion, but we have a lot of fans asking us to make it out to them and we hope to soon make that happen!
The Casket Creatures performing at a Nov. 16, 2012 MCW match. Photo Credit: Target Audience Magazine. Photo courtesy of the Casket Creatures.
What do you do when you’re not performing with the Casket Creatures?
Ryan: Work on new material, book shows and work to pay the bills! Pretty much all my free time from working goes into the band! Oh, and beer drinking, lots of that!
Subscribe to ATLRetro
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter