It’s Casual Have Some Kiss in Their Roots

"If you're in it for the longevity," Eddie Solis told Noisecreep while discussing the DIY approach of It's Casual, "you have to build your own foundation, on your own terms, which is harder because you're not following the ones in front of you. You're creating your own template."

The framework for the drum, guitar and scream duo of It's Casual has its inspirations, one of which is simply not being pleased with the bevy of bands around Los Angeles. "I notice more and more -- for some reason -- the majority of people playing aggressive music on a local semi-professional level that are young are not really delivering live," said Solis, who also books shows. "I just laugh every time we play a show and there are these guys 10 years younger than me playing heavy music that's supposed to be played in a very aggressive way, and it's very redundant and tired."

The duo, who are named after the catchphrase from Cameron Crowe's film 'The Wild Life,' are known for their volume live; it's pure punishment in ways, but boring is never uttered, and Solis is up for a smile and a good story on stage -- matter how angry the next song is positioned to be. "All these bands take themselves so serious," he continued. "Which is fine. I take the band serious, but I know what this band is supposed to be, and we're not going to try and change the world."

That attitude has its roots Solis, and he cites the last band you would expect as an integral influence on the band's presentation: Kiss. "For me, Kiss plays very loud and they engage with the audience," he mentioned, of how his love of the painted ones always seems to bring laughs, but it actually makes sense. The wall of amps behind Solis and drummer W.C.E. is a visual and part of the show. It's straight out of the Kiss playbook as being a part of the show.

"Live I know for a fact the way we're playing, other bands aren't doing what were doing," Solis said with no doubt in his voice. "I'm not going to comment on the pedal combination that I use. I'm trying to register it as intellectual property so no one steals the idea."

This is not a joke. Part of the It's Casual's presentation is how loud it gets for only being two guys on stage, and it's common practice for the other bands playing to keep a watch on how he sets up. "Basically I have a little bass coming out in such a way that it sounds like we have a pulverizing bass player on stage with us live," he described as the result of his gear and pedal board.

One thing to note is that It's Casual will play as many times as they can; it might be good for Solis' health -- and others. "A lot of bands try to be strategic and play once a year in their hometown. We play all the time, or I go crazy." The band even takes up residencies in L.A. clubs. "[It's Casual] is my therapy if you will," Solis explained. "It's what I do to stay sane. I'm very much on cruise control and don't like to get loud. I don't like confrontation. Maybe if i didn't do It's Casual I would. But I get it all out through the shows. That's why we play so much."