Joseph Kevin Barry Casey (born January 31, 1977) is an American musician based out of Detroit, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of post-punk band Protomartyr. He is known for his distinctive vocal style, "anti-charisma[tic]" stage presence, and sardonic, literary lyrics which often incorporate philosophical themes. He is also responsible for creating the band's visual aesthetic.
Early life
Casey was born to an Irish-American Catholic family and is the youngest of 3 children. He grew up on 6 Mile on the north-west side of Detroit, which he remembers as an "idyllic corner" of the city when he was a child; his house described as being "the last [...] on a dead-end street, surrounded by a school, a church, and a monastery." However, by the time he was a teenager, his street had become prone to frequent shootings and stabbings, including one on his next door neighbor's lawn when he was just 12. His father - a construction inspector for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department - was a fan of history, which in turn encouraged his interest in the field later on. Solitary in nature and fond of playing video games, he remembers being an avid reader as a child, treating it as "a competition [...] to see who [among his siblings] could read the most".
He attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy and remembers being a good student, though he describes his academic performance in college - University of Michigan - as being "pretty bad". He recalls trying to learn the flute in grade school, calling the attempt a "failure on [his] part." His school friends included many future musicians, including the members of garage punk band Tyvek (whom he would accompany on a few of their tours and cite as an influence on Protomartyr's music). However, while many of them left for places like New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago, Casey himself chose to stay in Detroit and worked a number of odd-end jobs after film school, a period during which "he drank, [and] got depressed." One of them included the job of a doorman at the Gem Theatre, where he met and became close to guitarist Greg Ahee - then playing in a "caustic punk" band named Butt Babies with bassist Scott Davidson and drummer Alex Leonard (grandson of Elmore Leonard).
In March 2008, while on a trip to Texas with Tyvek, his 72-year-old father died from an unexpected heart-attack during a routine hernia surgery. His death acted as a "wake-up call" to Casey, and would subsequently have a huge impact on his lyricism. He and Butt Babies started to jam together in 2010, soon adopting the name "Protomartyr" - referencing Saint Stephen. Kevin Boyer of Tyvek briefly played bass and later second guitar for the band during their early days, before having to leave due to a heavy work schedule. With the brief exception of Kelley Deal joining the band as a touring member in 2020, the band have primarily remained a quartet ever since.
Career
Since 2010 and up until today, Protomartyr have released more than 6 studio albums and 3 EPs worth of material, and all of their songs have featured Joe Casey on vocals. He is also solely responsible for the band's lyricism across the entirety of their studio output - the only exception being a cover of Preoccupations' "Forbidden" (released on a split single, with Preoccupations' cover of the track "Pontiac 87" as the B-side).
Aside from their 2012 debut No Passion All Technique - which was later reissued in 2019 to positive reviews - all of Protomartyr's albums, including 2018's Consolation EP, have received widespread critical acclaim. On review aggregator website Metacritic, the band's discography (excluding their debut and including the Consolation EP) has an average score of 83/100, indicating "[u]niversal [a]cclaim". The Agent Intellect and Relatives in Descent even managed to break the top 5 of Billboard'''s Top Heatseekers chart, and songs from these two albums have been featured in TV shows such as 13 Reasons Why, The Rain and The OA. They have extensively toured around the world and have performed at multiple noteworthy festivals such as SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon, and the Pitchfork Music Festival.
Casey has also performed as a guest on numerous other records. He provides backing vocals on Tyvek's 2012 album On Triple Beams (alongside Greg Ahee). He sings lead vocals on the tracks "Rope" and "Slang Words" by The Gotobeds off of their 2016 & 2019 albums Blood Sugar Secs Traffic and Debt Begins At 30 respectively. He is also credited as the composer of the track "Why'd You?" off of the former album.