Kasino.co.uk - frequently asked questions

Why are you called Kasino?

We were originally "Casino" - after the Scorcese film - until we discovered that millions of bands had the same idea. After the Barras/Mansun gig a number of chancers also called themselves "Casino", so we changed the name. Slightly, heheheheh.

You're not the only band called Kasino, you know.

Yes we are, or at least we were the last time we checked [Update 2006: no we're not, there's another Kasino in the US. Hurrah for the internet!]. There is an American rapper called - depending on the mood he's in at the time - Casino, Ca$ino, C.A.S.I.N.O., Kasino or Ka$ino, and he turned up on the Blade soundtrack. But we can't be arsed changing the name... anyway, he's going through the entire alphabet and no matter what name we chose, he'll end up using it too. Grrr. There's also a graffiti artist who shares our name, and his stuff's pretty cool. We've linked to him from the cunningly named links page.

When's your next record coming out?

We don't have any plans for now. Our most recent release is the Thank You And Goodnight EP, which is available for free download from the MP3s page.

If I join your mailing list, will I get lots of annoying emails?

Realistically, you won't get *any* emails.

Will you pass on my email address to anybody else?

No. And we have nothing but contempt for any site that does.

What about if I order a CD from you? Do you store my home address anywhere?

CD ordering isn't something we handle ourselves: it's done by the nice man at Keep Records, who's paranoid about protecting your privacy.

Why don't you play live any more?

Mainly because John and I are in Glasgow, David's in Yorkshire (hundreds of miles away) and Calum is... we're not sure where Calum is.

Who do I contact to talk about a compilation LP / offer a cash bribe?

Me. Click here to email me.

Do you have a shameful musical past?

Yes.

Are you going to tell us about it?

I'll spare you the really scary stuff. But put it this way: the day Kurt Cobain shot himself, I was recording twelve-bar blues songs on an acoustic guitar through a flanger pedal. There may have been whistling involved, too. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

What about the other members of the band?

Calum did a gig where his entire band walked off stage, leaving him to play drum solos for the rest of the night.

There are much more embarrasing things than that. One day I'll put them all in a book and nobody will believe me.

Why do you all have bad hair?

Believe me, we've improved. I may have had a ponytail, although I'll deny it if asked. And as for Calum...

Can I reprint some of the articles from this site?

Only if you ask us first. If your site is run for profit, the answer is almost certainly going to be "no" unless you're willing to pay standard NUJ rates. If you're a fanzine or e-zine, the answer will almost certainly be "yes". We'd prefer it if you linked to the site, though, and if you do reprint our stuff the copyright information etc should be reproduced intact.

Please don't just nick the articles: because I write books for musicians, I had to ask my publisher very nicely indeed for permission to keep providing free articles from this site. It would have been much easier to take the articles down and tell everyone "if you want the articles, you'll have to buy the books" but I didn't want to do that. In return, I'd ask that you respect the copyright on the articles and don't reproduce them without getting permission from the person who wrote the article. If that isn't me, I'll contact the author for you. I'm nice like that.

Oh, and buy the books. I need the royalties ;-)

Can I put your MP3s on my site?

No. Sorry. By all means download them, pass them on to your friends, whatever. But uploading them to your own site is a no-no.

Can I use your MP3s in my podcast?

Sure. We'd appreciate it if you can give us a heads-up when you do; it feeds our giant rampaging egos.

What's your take on file sharing / peer-to-peer stuff like KaZaA?

We think it's great. Go for it.

Can you write something for my site?

It depends on who you are. If your site is a zine site, or something similarly non-profit, then the answer is probably "yes" - if you don't mind waiting for a wee while, 'cause I tend to be up to my neck in work. If your site is a commercial operation (and by that I mean anything that generates money for the site owners) then the answer will be "yes" if you're willing to pay NUJ rates.

Why do you sound Irish when you're singing?

I have no idea. Might be because my mum's from Belfast, or it might be because I've moved about all over Scotland and have something of a strange accent as a result. Then again, it may be because I'm a muppet.

Can you help me out with contact names for venues / advice on how to get gigs / feedback on my web site?

The best idea is to post something on one of Glasgow's many messageboards and get the combined wisdom of stacks of bands. Especially if you want a quick response.

What are the songs about?

Depends on the song. You'll find an explanation of most songs next to the links for the relevant MP3 downloads; if you're still none the wiser, drop me a line and I'll do my best to explain things :-)

Why don't you take yourselves seriously?

We do, but only when we need to. We take recording, gigging and songwriting seriously. But anybody who believes that being in a band makes them more interesting - without them *doing* anything interesting - is a fool and deserves to be mocked.

As for the self-deprecating humour: we find it funny.

I've got a question that isn't covered here.

Then email us :-)