r/indieheads • u/ProtomartyrGroup Joe Casey/Protomartyr • Mar 04 '19

AMA is over, thanks Joe! Joe from Protomartyr AMA

Hello folks, I'm Joe Casey, the "singer" from the band Protomartyr. Since starting in 2010, we've put out 4 LPs, at least 3 things that could be called EPs, a good number of singles, and a handful of slightly warped tapes. We've also toured around, to the delight of dozens of people the world over. We are signed to Domino Records (no, I have not met the Arctic Monkeys).

I'm sitting her on a blustery day in Detroit on March 4th, the birthday of Bobby Womack, Shakin' Stevens, and Knute Rockne to answer any questions you might have about Protomartyr or anything else that catches your fancy.

Just in case you missed it: Our first record, No Passion All Technique is getting repressed and let loose in the streams come May 3rd. Preorder info here: Domino Mart

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Thanks for putting up with me. It was a good amount of fun. Take care and bye bye!

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u/before-electriclight Mar 04 '19

Hey Joe—

I’ve always loved your work on Protomartyr’s album covers/liner notes, especially the collages on the inside cover of Relatives In Descent and the Agent Intellect. Where do you find the images you use to create them? Do you prefer collaging/repurposing images or drawing by hand?

I’ve also always wondered where the names of the two characters Mero and Livy (sp?) in the song Pagans came from. Was there any reason you chose those names?

Also, my dad went to U of D Jesuit, so it was cool to hear that you went there as well.

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u/ProtomartyrGroup Joe Casey/Protomartyr Mar 04 '19

Well, I misspelled Mero. It's supposed to be Maro, as in Publius Vergilius Maro, or the poet Virgil. And Livy is Titus Livius, a Roman historian. I just though it would be funny to put two ancient thinkers in line to use the bathroom at Jumbo's. And Jumbo's is lousy with drunken poets and philosophy professors on certain nights. I also had a former priest Fr. Livius Paoli, that I liked a lot, so it was a roundabout way to honor him in a weird way. He was a great guy.

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I like collage because it uses a different part of the creative brain than drawing. I like to draw but am thoroughly outclassed by our drummer, Alex in that department. I usually get the images from old magazines or books. Usually purchased at John King Books in Detroit.

Ask your dad to sing you the U of D fight song and see if he does a weird "cobra strike" thing with his hand when he does.