Casey Chaos

Karim Chmielinski was born in New York on October 9, 1969, the only child of a Polish father and French-Italian mother who were 30 years apart in age. When he was seven, his parents separated and Casey, as he was known, moved with his mother to Melbourne, Florida, where he did not fit in and was bullied; on one occasion, local kids beat him to the point where he was hospitalized. He began Self-harming through cutting, then found a focus in Skateboarding.[3] By age 10, was touring professionally. His parents invested his earnings in real estate; he owned his first house at age 15.

While Chmielinski was responsible enough to continue going to school, he was spending his time with much older boys. As he told Rolling Stone in 2001, he started using Cocaine when he was 10; at 15, he used Heroin to alleviate the pain from a broken arm and became addicted. The result was permanent damage to his Respiratory system and the necessity of taking lung medications for the rest of his life.[4]

In 1984, fellow skateboarder Duane Peters played him a tape by the band Black Flag. Chmielinski became enough of a fan that he started corresponding with Henry Rollins and his friend, Ian MacKaye.[5] He then decided to start his own band. He created Casey and the Skate Punx, and recruited bassist Scot Lade, drummer Bill Irwin (drums) and his childhood friend from New York, guitarist Ken Decter (aka Duke Decter). They changed the band name to 'Disorderly Conduct'; Decter started going by the moniker 'Ugly Stupid' and then settled on 'Duke'; Chmielinski changed his name to Casey Chaos. They began writing songs and playing the Florida punk scene, with Chaos handling bookings and promotion. Between his powerful voice and the band’s high-energy presence, they became well-known and popular, with people traveling from as far as Atlanta to catch their shows.[6] Between 1984 and 1986, their songs were included in three punk compilation albums.[7][8][9] In 1986, they independently released the album Amen.[10] That was followed a year later by the six-track EP Atrocity.

From the beginning, however, the band's high-energy performances often degenerated into too much rowdiness, even for the punk scene. Chaos' method of riling up his audience included blood: he would cut himself on stage. This would become his trademark, but it was not necessarily contrived. As he told Rolling Stone, "Blood is like sweat when we're playing. It gets out of control, I hear--I never know what's going on."[4] Lade, who was older than the rest of the band and the manager of a national-chain record store, was responsible for the venues. When yet another venue was trashed by the audience, he quit the band. Irwin followed.[6]

In 1990, Chaos and Decter moved to Los Angeles, changed their band name to 'Amen' and began searching for opportunities. Decter accepted the invitation to join the band Ex-Idols. Chaos met Rikk Agnew, who invited him to sit in as bassist on a concert by his band Christian Death.[11] He then asked Chaos to sing on his new solo album,[12] and play bass on Christian Death's new album, Iconologia, for which Chaos also wrote or co-wrote three songs.[13] Chaos then wrote and recorded the album Slave, for which he played all of the instruments.[14] He released it under the Amen name in 1994 and began to put together a new line-up: Paul Fig and Sonny Mayo on guitar, John Fahnestock (aka John Tumor) on bass and Shannon Larkin on drums.

The band was eventually signed to Roadrunner Records which, in 1999, released a split EP with Misfits,[15] the five-track EP Coma America[16] and their debut album, Amen.[17] To support the album, Amen went on a tour of North America with Slipknot, Machine Head and Coal Chamber, among others.[18] The tour was not a commercial success; Coal Chamber was removed from the tour[19] and Roadrunner canceled the planned European tour for Amen, insisting that they return to the studio to record their second album. Amen refused and they were dropped by Roadrunner. They were quickly picked up by This Is An I Am Recording!, the Virgin Records sub-label of producer Ross Robinson which, in 2000, released the EPs Propamenda,[20] The Price of Reality,[21] Too Hard To Be Free[22] and The Waiting 18.[23] In 2001, they released the album We Have Come For Your Parents.[24] Just after its release, Roadrunner re-released Amen, which had only sold about 15,000 copies.[25] Chaos was furious and, in media interviews, asked people not to buy it.[26]

In March 2002, Chaos announced that Amen had been dropped from Virgin--We Have Come For Your Parents had sold about 16,000 copies at that point.[27] Amen had recorded some tracks for another album and Virgin refused to release them. Amen generated a public petition campaign, to try to pressure Virgin into changing its mind; the company refused.[28] Fig had quit the band in the middle of recording the album;[29] Larkin, Fahnestock and Mayo now decamped to other bands.

Chaos produced an EP for The Kinison,[30] briefly played bass for bands called Grindhallerxxx and Alice B Davis, and collaborated with Twiggy Ramirez and members of Queens of the Stone Age on a project called Headband, who recorded music but never released it.[31] Chaos then founded the band Scum, with black metal icons Samoth and Cosmocrator from Zyklon, Bård Faust from Emperor, and Happy Tom from Turbonegro. Scum eventually released an album, 2005's Gospels for the Sick,[32] which was nominated in the metal category at Norway's 2006 Alarm Awards.

In the meantime, Daron Malakian of System of a Down had founded his own label, through Columbia Records, called EatUrMusic Records. Malakian and Chaos had met at the 2002 Big Day Out festival in Australia. and had become friends. Chaos put together a new band, recruiting bassist Scott Sorry, drummer Luke Johnson, and guitarists Matt Montgomery (aka Piggy D.) and Rich Jones. Amen was the first band Malakian signed and the label released Amen's Death Before Musick in 2004, along with a video for the single "California's Bleeding".[33] It then sent the band on a tour of the UK and Japan, where Amen was most popular.

Chaos aggressive performance behavior had not changed since the Disorderly Conduct days. The on-stage cutting continued; he repeatedly suffered broken ribs and burst blood vessels in his eyes. He gave himself a concussion during a performance in Barcelona[34] and, he claims, he gave himself a "brain aneurysm".[4] There are no records, however, that he injured anyone else. According to Rich Jones, this changed on April 5, 2004, when Amen played the Virgin Megastore in Oxford. Chaos had always been candid about his drug issues, telling Rolling Stone, "I'm the living embodiment of the reason not to do drugs at an early age. I was a drug addict by choice. Now I'm a drug addict with no choice."[4] But, according to Jones, Chaos' drug use was "at its peak" in Oxford. During the megastore appearance, Jones reported, Chaos pushed a stack of amps onto a crew member, and injured two people when he threw a cymbal stand into the crowd. He damaged the store, had a temper tantrum over having to carry his own luggage, hurled abuse at everyone and left Jones with a bad cut on his arm. The entire band quit.[35]

There was more to this than just Chaos' behavior—there was also the issue of money. Chaos had always claimed that his music, which was often political in nature, had a social justice element and was never meant to be profitable, telling Rolling Stone, "Amen will never, ever be about money. We will never sell out."[4] He told Metal Hammer magazine that the band shared a house in Van Nuys and "worked as a commune".[36] According to Jones and Montgomery, the band members shared the house because they couldn't afford to live anywhere else. Montgomery, who posted a public statement calling Chaos "a fraud", says that in his two years with Amen, he was paid a total of $2800.00.[37] Jones went further, issuing a public statement in which he accused Chaos of embezzlement. Pointing out that Chaos had steady income from his early real estate investments, Jones says that Chaos spent what little money the band earned and did not pay the other members. Jones stated that the band was paid a $50,000.00 advance on their up-coming DVD "Caught In The Act", and paid each band member $300.00; on the UK tour, Jones said that merchandise sales topped GBP 40,000, but each band member got $800.00, while Chaos bought his girlfriend a new car. In London during the UK tour, Chaos stayed in a West End hotel, the band members slept on the floor of Jones' cousin's house.[38]

The problem with the Oxford situation was that Amen was at the beginning of their UK tour, and they still had to tour Japan. To quit would have meant a loss of income for all involved. The band members agreed to continue on the condition that Chaos sign a contract, in which he would agree to not "cause or threaten to cause any physical harm to the Band Members, himself, the crew or any audience member", and that all proceeds from the tour would be shared equally among Amen's members. Chaos said the contract was "the antithesis of what this band is about," and accused his bandmates of only being interested in money.[39] He refused to sign. The tour organizer, Sanctuary Records, convinced the band to finish the tour. Chaos did not pay the band members for the rest of tour.[40]

Back in the US, Chaos found himself with no band and no label, as Malakian had dropped Amen from EatUrMusic. He gathered together every song he had ever recorded and produced Pisstory, A Catalogue of Accidents/A Lifetime of Mistakes, which was a 4-CD boxed set released under his name and in a limited edition of 2,000 copies. The packaging bore the statement "All proceeds will be used to keep the band alive."[41]

To tour and promote the set, he put together a new band: drummer Joe Letz, bassist Nathan Manor and guitarist Eric Amblur. However, in late 2005, Manor was caught shoplifting from a Los Angeles supermarket. He was charged with petty theft; it was Letz who paid his bail, and had to sell his cymbals to come up with the money.[28]

In 2005, Chaos recorded a song for No End In Sight, an album by the band This Is Menace.[42] Amen was then meant to tour with the band, but all dates were canceled when Chaos had to undergo emergency surgery to repair 'multiple ruptured hernias'. When he got out of hospital, Amen joined the band Sick of It All to fulfill its European tour commitment. To help promote the tour, the British labels Snapper Music and Secret Records released the recording of Amen's 2003 concert at the Manchester Academy, as Gun of a Preacher Man.[43][28]

In 2006, Casey Chaos received a Grammy Award Certificate in recognition of his participation "as a songwriter on the Grammy Award-winning recording "B.Y.O.B."".[44] B.Y.O.B. ("Bring Your Own Bombs") was a anti-Iraq war song released in 2005 by Malakian's band, System of a Down. The song was successful—it topped the charts at No 27 and was the band's only top-40 hit. Initially, the song was meant to be released on an album by Malakian's side project, Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway. In a 2005 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Malakian said that he had "tons of music lying around" and had enough to release ten solo albums.[45] Some of that music included contributions from Chaos, and Chaos was included as a member of Scars on Broadway. After the events in Oxford, Malakian decided against proceeding with Scars on Broadway and brought "B.Y.O.B." to System of a Down. Initially, Chaos' received credit for contributing to the song, hence the Grammy certificate. Malakian offered to pay him royalties, at the rate of 2%. Chaos asked for a higher percentage and Malakian rescinded the offer. In 2006, three months after the Grammy recognition, Chaos entered into a publishing agreement with the British music publishing company Maxwell Music through which, in exchange for several songs, he was paid a $50,000.00 advance, plus royalties after recoupment of the advance. Chaos included B.Y.O.B. in the song package. Maxwell acknowledged that Chaos "provided no extrinsic evidence or specific details of his alleged co-authorship with Malakian". In 2008, on the grounds that it was co-owner of "B.Y.O.B.", Maxwell sued System of a Down for unpaid royalties, claiming 50% ownership of the song. All parties ended up in court, in a trial that last six days. In 2010, the judge issued his verdict. Noting that there had been drug use on the part of both parties, and that Chaos' testimony was inconsistent, he found that "B.Y.O.B." was written by Malakian and his bandmate Serj Tankian and that, since Chaos did not have rights to the song, Maxwell Music also had no rights to it.[46][47] Chaos' Grammy certificate was revoked.

In 2007, Amen performed on The Henry Rollins Show, a weekly talk show hosted by musician Henry Rollins on IFC. Amen performed three songs, two of which aired: "Coma America" and "Liberation". The performance aired internationally on July 13, 2007, on the 14th episode of Season 2 (in which the interview guest was Serj Tankian). Between the two songs, Chaos made political death threats and it became the first of the show's episodes to have material cut by IFC, although it ran the full performance on its website. The show was cancelled shortly thereafter.

This appearance led to an invitation to co-headline, with Kreator, the Damnation Festival at the University of Leeds. Amen booked a full European tour, which was nearly cancelled because promoters didn't pay their deposits;[48] in an interview with the BBC, Chaos said that his financial situation was such that he was unable to pay his electricity bill.[49] Four weeks later, Amen announced that it was canceling the tour because the bass player's grandmother had passed away.[50]

By this time, Duke Decter had returned to the band, coming out of retirement at Chaos' request. In an interview with the same BBC on the same day, he explained, "I was done with music ten years ago but had to come back because he (Casey) is so much the real deal. I am sacrificing my personal life to do this. But I know he's real because I've worked with those who aren't. It's shocking to me that my friend has become this crazy artist. More than anyone I know. His life has unfolded in such a way it is proof to me that he is destined. Could be good, could be bad. The only way I can describe him to people is that his life is so unbelievable, it's just not believable. But I've watched it happen since we were little kids. And I'm telling you, he lives in another reality. On another planet. That's why we played that song on The Henry Rollins Show. He is forced to do what he does. It is his unfortunate destiny. Mine too, it seems."[51]

In August 2008, Chaos announced that he was making "much-needed and overdue changes to his lifestyle" and was checking himself into the Wonderland Treatment Center in Los Angeles. He said that the combination of prescription drugs for various conditions, grueling touring schedules and heavy drinking had caused his health and state of mind to deteriorate further.[52]

Chaos was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Los Angeles in the early hours of July 5, 2012, after he allegedly smashed his SUV into three parked cars in the Studio City area of Los Angeles. Police stated that the musician abandoned his vehicle after causing minor damage to the vehicles. A neighbour, who said that Chaos was a "quiet and private" neighbor, suggested that he was "despondent over a break-up". (In 2013, he was granted a divorce from a woman named Tori Hatch.)[53] After testing, the musician registered a blood alcohol level just slightly above .08, the legal limit in California.[54] Chaos posted a $5000.00 bond and was released after a few hours.[55] In a 2014 interview with Metal Hammer, Chaos said that he was granted probation. He called the incident "a real mistake and a real wake up call.”[56]

By 2014, Chaos had put together a new incarnation of Amen. The band went on a short tour of the UK,[57] performed some new material, and told media members that Amen had recently recorded a new album with Ross Robinson. The album was never released.[52]

On June 4, 2019, Chaos was arrested at his home in Los Angeles, and accused of assaulting a woman. The allegation was that, following an argument, Chaos had bloodied her face. The woman, who was not a romantic partner of Chaos, refused medical attention at the scene. Chaos' lawyer stated that the "accusations against Casey are absolutely false," and that "the house where the alleged incident occurred was full of witnesses" who would speak on his behalf. Chaos was released on $50,000.00 bail. There is no public record of the disposition of the matter.[58]

Albums

With Disorderly Conduct:

• Amen (1986), Dirge Records

With Amen:

• Slave (1994), Drag-u-la Records
• Amen (1999), Roadrunner Records
• We Have Come For Your Parents (2000), Virgin Records
• Death Before Musick (2004), EatURMusic/Columbia
• Gun Of A Preacherman (2005), Snapper Music/Secret Records

Solo:

• Pisstory: A Catalogue Of Accidents, A Lifetime Of Mistakes (2005), Refuse Records

With Scum:

• Gospels For The Sick (2006) (Dogjob/Candlelight Records)

EPs (with Amen)

• Uncontrolled Music For A Controlled Society (1999), Roadrunner Records
• Coma America (1999) Roadrunner Records
• Frontline Volume 3 - The Singles Club (1999, split with Misfits), Roadrunner Records
• Propamenda (2000), Virgin Records
• The Price of Reality (2000), Virgin Records/This Is An I Am Recording!
• Too Hard To Be Free (2000), Virgin Records
• The Waiting 18 (2001), Virgin Records/This Is An I Am Recording!
• California's Bleeding (2004), EatURMusic/Columbia

Singles (with Amen)

• "Coma America" (1999), Roadrunner Records
• "The Price Of Reality" (2000), Virgin Records
• "Too Hard To Be Free" (2000), Virgin Records
• "The Waiting 18" (2001), Virgin Records
• "California's Bleeding" (2004), EatURMusic/Columbia

Soundtrack credits

• Faust: Love of the Damned (2000, film)
• Final Destination (2000, film)
• Atop the Fourth Wall (2012, TV series)
• House of Shock (2013, documentary)[59]
• One Hit Wonderland (2015, TV series)

Compilation inclusions

• Disorderly Conduct - I'm Buck Naked! (1984), BCT
• Disorderly Conduct - Flipside Vinyl Fanzine 2 (1985), Gasatanka Records
• Disorderly Conduct - There's A Method To Our Madness (1986), Phantom Records
• Amen - Launch (2000, video compilation), Launch Magazine[60]
• Casey Chaos - Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three (2002), Sanctuary Records
• Amen - Join Or Die (2003), Refuse Music
• Amen - Here's the Poison (2016), Secret Records

Guest appearances

• Rikk Agnew - Turtle (1992), Triple X Records
• Christian Death - Iconologic (1992), Triple X Records
• Christian Death - Sleepless Nights Live 1990 (1993), Cleopatra Records
• Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf (2002, as guest DJ), Interscope Records
• This Is Menace - No End In Sight (2005), PSI Records
• Christian Death - Death Club (2005, compilation), Cleopatra Records
• Ministry / Paul Barker - Fix (2012), Gigantic Pictures[61]

DVDs

• Amen - Caught In The Act (2004, live) Secret Records
• Christian Death Featuring: Rozz Williams – Live (2005), Cleopatra Records[62]
• Ministry / Paul Barker - Fix (2012), Gigantic Pictures

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casey Chaos.

• Casey Chaos official website(defunct)
• Official YouTube