The Incredible Casuals was an American

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band based in

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

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. They were formed in 1980 by bassist and songwriter Chandler Travis, guitarist Steve Shook, drummer Vince Valium (also known as Rikki Bates) and guitarist Johnny Spampinato, brother of

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

Joey Spampinato Joseph Nicholas Spampinato (born August 16, 1948) is a multi-instrumentalist and was a founding member and bass player of NRBQ. He was also one of the band's lead singers and chief songwriters. Before NRBQ he played in several bands, includin ...

. The band has been described as "The Beach Boys meets the Who". The Incredible Casuals were created from the remnants of "Travis Shook and Club Wow", a comedy duo that opened for

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...

Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on '' Mary Hartman ...

and others, appearing on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'' and '' The Midnight Special'' in the '70s. Chandler Travis and Steve Shook were joined by drummer Rikki Bates (aka Vince Valium) in 1978 and began performing as The Incredible Casuals in the Boston area in 1980. The trio released two 45 rpm 7 inch singles, "Money Won't Buy You Happiness" and "That's Why" (Red Rooster Records) prior to the addition of Johnny Spampinato. Johnny joined NRBQ when Al Anderson left that band in 1994, but has remained active with The Incredible Casuals. After the addition of Johnny to the band, the single "Picnic Ape" (Eat Records) was released. The revised lineup also released the "Let's Go" Maxi-EP, also on Eat records. This lineup of the band was also featured on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

show "Hotspots" along with NRBQ. Steve Shook left the group prior to the release of their first LP ''That's That'' (originally released on Demon Records in the UK and on Rounder Records in the U.S). Shook's songwriting and guitar are prominently featured on the album, which opens and closes with his compositions. The band's current lineup includes Spampinato, Bates, and Travis, as well as guitarist Aaron Spade, who has written the songs "Burn Me Up" and "Tearin' My Hair Out". The Casuals have maintained one constant through their career, playing the Beachcomber in Wellfleet, Cape Cod every summer Sunday afternoon since 1980. The band has composed over 100 songs. Their song, "I Wanna Play Loud", is the theme song for most of the "Socky & Jamie" shows.

Discography

* ''That's That''. Rounder, 1987 (CD release in Japan) * ''Your Sounds''. Sonic Trout, 1991 * ''Nature Calls''. Iddy Biddy, 2005 * ''World Championship Songs: 1980-2007''. Iddy Biddy, 2007Bosssounds.com review of "Nature Calls"
* ''It is Balloon''. Akers Records * ''The Future Will Be Better Tomorrow''

References

External links

Incredible Casuals website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Incredible Casuals Rock music groups from Massachusetts Musical groups established in 1981