In music, as in life, there are those who are content to follow the path of normality and certainty, unable to comprehend the intangible pleasures that come with venturing outside their comfort zone. Then, there are those who are prepared take a chance on whatever comes their way. Australia’s Johnny Casino is such a man.
Born John A Spittles, Casino’s musical journey began with a high stakes wager. On the back of a flatbed truck, and in front of the winning post of a racecourse in the Australian country town of Mudgee, at the age of 14 he played his first show in front of a biker gang by the name of The God Squad.
With 30 years of writing and recording music under his hefty belt now, he’s made six albums of Australian garage rock with the band Asteroid B-612 and had a solo career that’s been influenced by acts as diverse as Chuck Berry, The MC5, the sounds of Motown and Gram Parsons’ country rock, among other ventures.
A lot of those songs can be found on Hits and Misses, The Times and Crimes Of Johnny Casino a three part album series recollecting his earlier creative projects, via La Vila Nova Recordings. With Hits and Misses Volume 1 available on to stream/buy it here.
Last year he brought out Vibrations, Yours And Mine, produced and recorded in Spain, where he now lives. Released through Golden Robot Records you can stream/buy it by clicking here.
He was in mid-tour when the coronavirus pandemic struck, but he didn’t let that hold his music career back, as he notes regarding his latest Double-A sided single ‘Twenty Twenty‘ and ‘People Say’, also available now through Golden Robot Records.
“Written and recorded during the first few weeks of the pandemic, while I was stranded in the wonderful city of brotherly love Philadelphia, ‘Twenty Twenty’ explains how I was feeling during the months of March and April 2020, I had just touched down into Philadelphia International airport and my brother Billy was waiting to pick me up and his first words were ‘’Brother I´m surprised they let you in!’’
“I had no idea what he was talking about! Me and my wonderful wife Mayra live in a smallish seaside town called Denia in Spain and we knew there was something happening but not exactly what! (we ain’t much for watching news or current affairs programs, so we were kinda outta the loop so to speak).
“The next few days I was to learn what was happening around the globe, I had work planned and concerts planned for the next three months in America and Australia and all those plans were now off the table! And the only thing left on the table was trying to get back home to Spain! Well there was one more thing on that table, before I left Spain I had made a plan with my old buddy Jamie Mahon to record some songs with his great band St James And The Apostles in their wonderful studio Green Rock Recorders in Philadelphia, and this song ‘Twenty Twenty’ is the first taste of these sessions.”
‘People Say’ was recorded in Spain, and dis dedicated to the late Dave Thomas, of whom Casino said “will never be forgotten” and always be remembered for how he helped his career.
The Double-A side single is available through Golden Robot Records and you can check out the videos for both songs right here at RAMzine.
