Cassie Grzymkowski (born March 17, 1986), better known by her stage name Cassie Ramone, is an American musician and artist. Ramone rose to prominence as the guitarist and vocalist of
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls is an American band based in Brooklyn, New York. The only consistent members have been Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman, on guitar and bass, respectively; the group has had several drummers throughout its history. They took their n ...
, who broke up in 2014, and later reformed in 2019. She also formed the band project
The Babies
The Babies was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York City.
History
In 2008, Kevin Morby of Woods and Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls shared a small apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn for a few months and wrote some songs. After meet ...
with
Kevin Morby
Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and the Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: ''Harlem River'' (2013), '' Still Life'' (2014), ''Singing Saw'' (20 ...
(of Woods). During The Babies' hiatus, Ramone embarked on a solo career, releasing her debut album '' The Time Has Come'' in August 2014.
Biography
Born and raised in
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 24,958,Ridgewood High School, where she met her later bandmate Katy Goodman. In 2004, she moved to
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and began studying at
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...
.
Ramone formed the band Bossy along with Jamie Ewing and Justin Sullivan, that lasted until 2007. The same year, she co-found the indie rock band
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls is an American band based in Brooklyn, New York. The only consistent members have been Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman, on guitar and bass, respectively; the group has had several drummers throughout its history. They took their n ...
with Goodman and
Frankie Rose
Frankie Rose (born 1979) is an American musician and songwriter. She was an original member of Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls and Beverly.
Career
Formerly of bands Vivian Girls and Beverly, Frankie was the drummer for the acts Crys ...
. They released three albums, ''
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls is an American band based in Brooklyn, New York. The only consistent members have been Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman, on guitar and bass, respectively; the group has had several drummers throughout its history. They took their n ...
'' (2008), ''
Everything Goes Wrong
is a 1960 in film, 1960 Cinema of Japan, Japanese Sun Tribe film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Tamio Kawachi and Yoshiko Yatsu in her film debut. The story follows Jirō, a rebellious high schooler, in his Sadomasochism, sadomasochistic ...
'' (2009) and ''
Share the Joy
''Share the Joy'' is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vivian Girls. It was released on April 12, 2011 by Polyvinyl Record Co. The album was produced by the band's lead singer and guitarist Cassie Ramone with Woods' Jarvis T ...
'' (2011), before breaking up in 2014. In 2019, the band reformed and released their fourth album, ''
Memory
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
.'' After meeting
Kevin Morby
Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and the Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: ''Harlem River'' (2013), '' Still Life'' (2014), ''Singing Saw'' (20 ...
The Babies
The Babies was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York City.
History
In 2008, Kevin Morby of Woods and Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls shared a small apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn for a few months and wrote some songs. After meet ...
who released albums in 2011 and 2012.
In 2014, Ramone embarked a solo career and released her debut album '' The Time Has Come'', featuring
Ariel Pink
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi music, lo-fi aesthetic and home ...
on bass. In early 2015, she formed Melt, who only conceived a demo. She also formed another band with
Dee Dee
Deedee, DeeDee or Dee Dee may refer to:
Given name
* DeeDee Halleck (born 1940), American media activist
* DeeDee Jonrowe (born 1953), American kennel owner and dog musher, three-time runner up in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
* Deedee Mag ...
from
Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee (née Kristin Gundred). She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' albu ...
and OJ from XRay Eyeballs called OCDPP. They debuted as a live act in 2015 and released an EP called 7" Long Player in 2020.
Ramone released a Christmas album titled ''Christmas in Reno'' on December 11, 2015.
Art
Apart from music, Ramone is an artist who designed the cover art for most of the Vivian Girls and The Babies' discography, and
La Sera
La Sera is an American indie rock band formed by Katy Goodman, the bassist for Vivian Girls, in 2010. They have released four albums and toured internationally.
History
La Sera, whose name means "the evening" in Italian, started in 2010, with Goo ...
's ''La Sera'' (2011). She also does drawings, paintings, sculptures and collages that uploads in her
Flickr
Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
account.
Influences
Ramone cites
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
,
The Wipers
Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely in ...
,
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...
,
The Shangri-las
The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Gre ...
,
Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
, The Bananas,
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
,
Johnny Horton
John LaGale Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Initially performing traditional country, Horton later performed rockabilly songs. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrat ...
,
The Carpenters
The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...
,
Dead Moon
Dead Moon was an American punk rock band active from 1987 to 2006, formed in Portland, Oregon.
History
Fronted by the singer/guitarist Fred Cole, the band also included the bass guitarist Toody Cole and the drummer Andrew Loomis. Veterans ...
and
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
among her favorite artists.
Discography
Solo artist
Studio albums
Split singles
Album appearances
with Bossy
*''The Best of Bossy'' (2009)
with Vivian Girls
*''
Vivian Girls
Vivian Girls is an American band based in Brooklyn, New York. The only consistent members have been Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman, on guitar and bass, respectively; the group has had several drummers throughout its history. They took their n ...
'' (2008)
*''
Everything Goes Wrong
is a 1960 in film, 1960 Cinema of Japan, Japanese Sun Tribe film directed by Seijun Suzuki and starring Tamio Kawachi and Yoshiko Yatsu in her film debut. The story follows Jirō, a rebellious high schooler, in his Sadomasochism, sadomasochistic ...
'' (2009)
*''
Share the Joy
''Share the Joy'' is the third studio album by American indie rock band Vivian Girls. It was released on April 12, 2011 by Polyvinyl Record Co. The album was produced by the band's lead singer and guitarist Cassie Ramone with Woods' Jarvis T ...
'' (2011)
*''
Memory
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
'' (2019)
with The Babies
* ''
The Babies
The Babies was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York City.
History
In 2008, Kevin Morby of Woods and Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls shared a small apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn for a few months and wrote some songs. After meet ...