Casey Sullivan Links:
Casey Sullivan is a man of many talents. I have been a fan of this man from his time with Seedless all through his most recent business ventures. Once I heard about his new debut single "Island In Your Mind" I jumped at the chance to chat with him about the track and more.
Before we get to the new song “Island in Your Mind” (which I am obsessed with right now), I want to talk about your history. After Seedless you went out and started a business of your own Coffee in The Shower. Can you talk about that and what it’s like taking that step in your life?
First of all, thank you for listening and helping push the new tune, means a lot! I have always had an entrepreneur mindset, it comes with the territory of being a musician. I love developing products and releasing them, and monitoring their growth etc. Coffee in the Shower was the perfect outlet for that! It could support my family and allow me to stay off the road to be with them. It started as an idea in my head and grew to shipping orders worldwide within a year or so through the power of social media. It was a true blessing at the time, And I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
You have a fantastic social media presence - always positive. During your ups and downs, you are motivated and have a drive to not let the negative get in the way. You inspire people with your great attitude. Where does this drive and passion come from?
I appreciate that, I was raised to never be a complainer haha. I try and look at situations with a positive mindset no matter what we are thrown into. It’s not about what happens to us and around us, it’s about how we choose to react to it. I really live my life that way, and I am motivated to share that spirit with anyone who needs it in their life! I was blessed with a passion for reading and seeking knowledge in my 20’s, and it has brought me more gifts for my mindset then I could have ever dreamed of.
Burritos The Band and The Nowell Family Foundation, please tell us about both and your decision to start a band to celebrate the music of the great Sublime? Am I correct that your wife is in the band as well?
My friend Kellie Nowell made a post on social media last year about them starting a non-profit to help addicted musicians. I grew up with two brothers that went down the wrong path and became addicted to drugs and alcohol, I saw what that did to their lives and my family so it hit close to home for me. My brother gave me “Second Hand Smoke” on tape when I was in 7th grade, from the moment I played the tape I felt instantly connected and accepted into the world of Sublime and it changed my life forever. I secretly always wanted to someday live on the music, since the man who created all of the music was no longer with us. Once I saw Kellie’s post an idea popped in my head to throw a benefit show and cover Sublime tunes and donate the show earnings to “Bradley’s House” - I asked Kellie what she thought and she seemed thrilled for the idea, so I got a crew of my best friends and the best musicians I knew together to try and match the sound I always I grew up obsessing over! I called Shay Pino, my longtime great friend and bandmate from Seedless and asked if he’d be down to play drums for the show, and he was in right away, which stoked me out because he has always had the perfect Bud Gaugh sound in his drumming. I knew my homies Alex Vo and Adrian Olmos were the perfect cherry on top to bring a mix of the Sublime recorded sound to their live sound that I love just as much. Lastly we needed a bass player and my wife has been an incredible musician since I met her and fell in love with her in middle school, but she was never a bass player. She knew all of the bass lines by heart already, so her and vo studied up and tried to learn them as closely as possible to what Eric would play. She picked them up quickly and started grooving HARD with Shay, and The Burritos sound was locked in for that first show at Slidebar in Feb 2018. Kellie and her dad, Jim Nowell, were able to help us get some legendary supporting acts for the show like “Law” (fronted by Bradley’s Son Jakob Nowell), Corn Doggie Dog (Fronted by Brads long time friends and Nowell Family Foundation Leader Todd Zalkins, Perro Bravo (Fronted by Sublime. Producer and songwriter Micheal Happoldt) and a Long Beach legend and great friend of mine Mic Dangerously opened the show acoustic. The place was basically sold out, packed, great energy and the crowd reaction was insane. Needless to say we decided to continue on and play more shows and try and bring that magic to more venues in efforts to continue to spread the word about Bradley’s House and help raise more funds!
Now on to the new track “Island In Your Mind”, your first solo project. Can we expect a solo album? What gets your creative juices flowing?
Yes, more music is being written right now. I’d say I have about 40 songs I’ve written in the past 2-3 years and I am narrowing down the list to a solid bunch, and working with my brother Lewis Richards at 17th Street Recording Studio to bring the songs to life. I love working with Lou Dog, ever since recording “Twisted Roots” with him in 2010 we have had a pretty good working relationship and always seem to make some magic when we’re in the studio together. “Island in Your Mind” came from just a few days in the studio with just myself and Lou having fun and doing what we do. Hoping to capture more of that magic and get a full length record out in the very near future. We are both motivated and excited to put out more tunes.
“Island in Your Mind” is, in my opinion, a therapeutic song. The lyrics remind you that a happy place is always there in each of us. What was your inspiration for this song?
That’s great to hear! I remember driving to my parents house one day after a shitty day of work and with a pile of bills to pay that I couldn’t get out of my head. It dawned on me that you can’t escape your reality and the vacation everyone needs is right in our own mind. You just have to find it. So anyway I started working on a melody that would stick to get that message across to people, and Island in Your Mind came from that writing session at my house that night in my home studio.
What does the remainder of 2019 looking like for Casey Sullivan?
I was fortunate enough to land a steady consistent full time graphic design career that supports my family these days in San Clemente, CA. In between work and family life I have some shows lined up along with studio recording to try and hammer the rest of this album out! The Casey Sullivan and Friends band will be headlining the Summer Suds BrewFest in Fountain Valley on June 22nd, and Burritos will be headlining the Belly Up in San Diego on June 28th, so just gearing up for all that! My ultimate plans for the rest of the year are to enjoy every minute of every day, be present and here for my family and make some music that will hopefully last a lifetime! Thank you for your time and constructing these thought out questions !!