GoCasual

On Saturday, February 19, 2022, we held the first episode of IMSTA Song Reviews LIVE and it was a great success. During the 90-minute event, our expert panel listened to and provided feedback on 12 songs submitted by songwriters from around the world. In the end “Slopes” by GoCasual won 1st place. GoCasual is a rock band formed in Maine and influenced by the punk and rock sound from the early 2000’s. They describe their music as guitar-powered, melodic, and high-energy. - IMSTA

Sept. 2020 - GoCasual wins this month's Song of the Month with their track, "Black Years". Perfect for fans of bands like Jimmy Eat World or the Foo Fighters, "Black Years" is the kind of pop-rock track that can make you pump in the fist in the air while singing along. Make sure you check out this awesome new Broadjam song of the month! - Broadjam

Feb. 2020 - GoCasual's acoustic version of their song "Slopes" has won runner-up in the AAA/Alternative category of the 16th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards. They will be featured on this year's compilation CD. - International Acoustic Music Awards

PLYMOUTH - The battle will rage Saturday at Memorial Hall, scene of the third annual Ryan J. Lariviere Memorial Fund battle of the bands. Tickets cost $10 at this all ages show.

Last year’s winner, local band 3rd Left, will record a live album, and the bands duking it out will also be recorded.

Seven bands will play their hearts out for the big prize of 1,000 professionally mixed, mastered and illustrated CDs, out of 30 that originally tried out. The small number is due to the 3rd Left concert. The surviving members of Lariviere’s band, dismal, chose the bands, and a panel of celebrity judges will choose a winner.

“They knew Ryan’s kind of music better than anybody,” Lariviere’s mom, Marie, said.

The bands battling it out are Someday Providence, tunnlvision, gocasual, ProspectHill, Novus Dae, The Rob Benton Band, and Twenty Eight. All of the bands play rock and alternative music as well as some acoustic songs. All of them play original songs.

The judges for this year’s battle are Carter Alan, DJ from 100.7 WZLX; Patrick Faucher, CEO of Nimbit, an online music distribution company; and Martin Vazquez, who has played drums on tour with acts like The Drifters and Keith Urban, and has taught the drums on Cape Cod for 20 years.

“This is not your run of the mill battle of the bands,” Lariviere’s dad, Rick, said. “We wanted to make it different.”

They set out to create the fun that their son had when dismal played at the Worcester Palladium.

“He had such a great time; his band didn’t win, but he had a blast,” Rick said.

Rick said many battles of the bands require the bands to sell tickets and pay an application fee, but this one is different.

“We don’t charge a fee, and we don’t make the kids sell tickets,” Rick said.

This year, he and his wife have given each of the featured bands posters highlighting that particular band.

All of the bands will receive a year of services from Nimbit including the ability to sell music, merchandise and tickets online, as well as distribution to iTunes, Napster, and other music sharing networks; and a six-month membership to Sonicbids, an online music community.

Along with 40 hours of recording time and eight hours of mastering at MDI Productions, the grand prize winner will also receive a year of Nimbit Pro, 250 custom posters, a regional radio promotion to more 100 stations in the Northeast and one year of Sonicbids membership.

The winner will be featured as artist of the month on PIXY 103’s Home Grown Show with the “Rock Babe” Suzanne Tonaire. Band members will also get an hour of free tattooing at Great Island Tattoo.
For more information, go to www.rjlmemorialfund.com. - Wicked Local Plymouth

January 29, 2008 Manchester, New Hampshire: The band 'Gocasual' will headline Saturday's much anticipated battle between the Vermont Frost Heaves and the Manchester Millrats. They will perform a song at halftime, and a short mini-concert following the game.

Hailing from southern Maine, the members of Gocasual had played together in various groups during high school until the band finally coalesced into its present form in 2001. During the fall of 2002, Gocasual recorded its first album, a self-titled 8-song CD. Released in the winter of 2003, the disc slowly gathered a loyal fan base for the band. With live shows full of contagious energy, Gocasual continues to grow.

Combining musical maturity, a focus on lyrical sophistication, a unique melodic style, and raw punk rock aggression, Gocasual has become of one of southern Maine's favorite rock groups. The band combines a genuine love for playing and unfailing dedication to performing that is reflected in their upbeat songs and compelling live shows. Gocasual is tireless in continually developing their music, dedicating themselves to performing for anyone who will listen, and, most of all, having fun. Samples and more information on Gocasual can be found online at http://www.sonicbids.com/gocasual. Gocasual is a feature act of (207) Entertainment whose website is www.207ent.net. - American Basketball Association

What would rock be without girls? Well, girls and boys, but the boys sure do love to sing about the girls, and how much they love them, or don't. Gocasual, like many before them, can't quite make up their minds. Is it love? Not so much? You know, "What I really want to say is/ 'I love you. I mean it,' " but, at the same time, "Thanks for everything/ You'll never see my face again."

As a plot line for two on-again/off-again characters on the OC, Gocasual's The Whole Time I Knew You ain't half-bad, and it works as a nice 20-minute piece of pop-punk, too. In fact, Gocasual have sloughed off some of that punk aesthetic since their self-titled debut in the summer of 2003, like wine getting mellower as it ages (this is a theme I also explored with the review of the last album by Local Nothing, with whom Gocasual share drummer Andre Tranchemontagne and guitarist Mike Roy). Some of this comes simply from the improved production, this time handled by Jon Wyman (recording and mixing) and Adam Ayan (mastering), who really should just announce themselves as a super duo — Portland's musical version of Batman and Robin.

But frontman Mike Larrabee has definitely polished his delivery, getting more timbre and traveling less in the whiney sneer. On "I'm Only Good for One Kind of Fun," he even gets away with cribbing Morrissey, dropping lower in the register to sing about the relationship's lowest point, the "disaster." But the treble-heavy guitars that signal pop punk come storming back a song later, with "More Regrets, Please," repeating a phrase that disappears when the vocals start. Things must pick up, as "Gravity holds our clothes to the floor/ The backs will arch tonight ... Your picture is cold/ Her body was warm." And if you were wondering whether it really was a Wyman record, the hand-claps here should dispel any doubt.

While Gocasual do well with mixing up entries and exits, they have a tendency to bury the chorus on some songs, where the similarity between the verse and chorus, or the extreme length of the chorus (relatively — these are three-minute pop-punk sons, after all), can hamper their catchiness factor. Best is probably "Honesty Is the Worst Policy," where Larrabee charges in from the get-go and his breathless delivery gets the pulse going. The verses are minor-themed, but then the chorus goes major for some solid sing-along potential. When the bridge goes quiet and touchy-feely, "Ignore my efforts/ And all my lines/ And I'll keep trying," then ramps up with some kapow guitars for "Until we cut the ties," I'm just about totally sold on Larrabee's emotional investment. "Distance makes the heart grow cold/ And time won't heal anything" finishes the song, with a cool back-beat drum and some room sounds, like the drummer putting his sticks away. Very nice from start to finish.

Add in a 4/4 (actually) 23-second "Waltz," featuring a snippet of Christopher Walken from True Romance (they were, like, 10 when it came out) telling us he's in a "vendetta kind of mood," and there's enough variation on the disc to keep me interested despite some repetition in the rhythm section. It's to be expected in this genre, but Gocasual don't let themselves be boxed-in by it. - The Portland Phoenix

Man, you can really write lyrics. Not only are they intelligent, but they’re
thoughtful and full of insight. Really good structure and phrasing, and whomever does your arrangements deserves a Grammy®. The manic melodies kind of belie the subject matter, but that can be interpreted in any number of different ways. Fantastic dynamics – those choices lend a ton of personality to the song. Hard rock is often so pretentious ... this is such a breath of fresh air. We usually don’t comment on the demo, but pull up the vocals a little - the guitars are drowning them out. A great pitch for a contemporary film or indie series, for sure. Thanks for sending your songs in, we really enjoyed listening! - SongDoor International Writing Competition

Intriguing title, made us want to know more, but we’re still not sure what it means? We all want to congratulate you on your knowledge of the word “admixture” – a first for SongDoor lyrics! The verse and chorus melodies are intoxicating ... we just wanted to get lost in them. Solid structure, perfect tempo – a great mix of hard rock and alternative pop that is really nice on the ears. So well conceived, excellent chord changes. Brilliant, poetic lyrics that speak to parts or peoples’ brain that don’t get a lot of exercise. Simply superb. The unresolved ending totally suits the song. VERY nice work! - SongDoor International Writing Competition

Wow, what sensational lyrics! You are a true poet and your mastery of the language is so impressive. Original, above all. The music reminded us a lot of Green Day/Foo Fighters, which is fine, but it could be a little more Michael Roy. We could almost sing along without having heard the song before. Doesn’t mean it’s not good – it is – the verse and chorus melodies are just a little predictable. The bridge melody needs to jump away from the song more than it does; it blends in, which a bridge shouldn’t do. This song should definitely have a home on radio, in film or an indie TV series. Talented writer, you are. Great job. - SongDoor International Writing Competition