GRRL024: Streak of bad luck and sneaking off to play drums, with Stefanie of Caustic Casanova

Stefanie joined me online after Caustic Casanova's 2016 tour to talk about their almost-comical bad luck streak during the first week of their tour, some tour tips, a bit about their record label Retro Futurist, and the difficult time and plain hard work she put in to recover from breaking *both* her wrists. I also bust out my trumpet playing story again, but this time to learn about Stefanie's slight subterfuge when it came to finally playing the drums in high school.

Based in Washington D.C., Caustic Casanova has been described as "heavy metal B-52s" and other crossovers that usually involve the words "hard", "heavy", and "psychedelic." They'll be recording a new album starting in April, before going on yet another summer tour, so keep an eye out for tour dates. You do NOT want to miss them!

Stefanie joined me online after Caustic Casanova’s 2016 tour to talk about their almost-comical bad luck streak during the first week of their tour, some tour tips, a bit about their record label Retro Futurist, and the difficult time and plain hard work she put in to recover from breaking *both* her wrists. I also bust out my trumpet playing story again, but this time to learn about Stefanie’s slight subterfuge when it came to finally playing the drums in high school.

Based in Washington D.C., Caustic Casanova has been described as “heavy metal B-52s” and other crossovers that usually involve the words “hard”, “heavy”, and “psychedelic.” They’ll be recording a new album starting in April, before going on yet another summer tour, so keep an eye out for tour dates. You do NOT want to miss them!

Download episode 24 at Libsyn or stream from these websites [iTunes | Stitcher | TuneIn | Google Play]

Caustic Casanova – “Thundersnow”
Are genres so important nowadays?
Things Stefanie learned from their 2016 tour

Plan for traffic – Giving themselves a 2hr buffer
More off-days to recoup and for equipment malfunctions
Coming across amp trouble and finding a savior in St. Louis at Acme Guitars

Irata – “Lion Slayer” (Website)
Touring – how and why

flexible jobs, being upfront to potential employers
Love traveling and eating interesting food: Check out their list of top food places from their tour on Facebook

How did the tour work out financially? Not quite breaking even

Stefanie wants to emphasize how totally do-able touring is for any band that’s around Caustic Casanova’s level

Emily Danger – “Peace Arch” (Website)
Retro Futurist Records – Savannah, Georgia label – owned by the folks of Kylesa who Caustic Casanova toured with before being asked to join the label
Breaking bones – delays in putting out Breaks

Surgery and moving in with parents
Loss of independence, mental health, and becoming motivated to kick ass at physical therapy

Holly Hunt – “Meano”
Learning trumpet because mom didn’t want her play the drums

“But my heart’s always belonged to the drums.”
Sneaking off to find a drum kit

Heavy music dominated by men, drumming especially, but there are a lot of girl drummers out there

Hit Like a Girl – an annual drumming contest sponsored by Drum! and Tom Tom Magazines.

Links

Caustic Casanova’s Website, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
Find Caustic Casanova’s album Breaks at Retro Futurist’s Bandcamp (Label website)
Their older album Someday You Will Be Proven Correct