Stacking The Deck with Kasador

Stacking The Deck is a feature exclusive to Adam’s World where I bring packs of 1991 Pro Set Superstars MusiCards to artists, and we discuss who they find in each pack.

If you’re looking for the next rock band that could take over Top 40 radio, look no further than Kasador.

Hailing from Kingston, Ontario, and consisting of (photographed left to right) Boris Baker (bass), Nick Babcock (keys/vocals), Will Hunter (vocals/guitar), Julien Laferriere (drums), and Cam Wyatt (guitar/vocals), Kasador has a sound, and an energy that will resonate with wide variety of audiences. If the band were on stage at a large festival, 99% of the crowd would end up fans (there’s always that 1% who refuse to like anything everyone else likes, but we won’t worry about them).


I caught up with Kasador when their most recent tour hit The Bowery Electric, in NYC, and we opened up some packs of MusiCards. The artists we found sparked conversations about everything from artistic influences, to potentially reworking a classic, to each member’s childhood crushes.



Billy Idol
Boris: I actually didn’t know he was British until right now. I thought he was American.

Will: Isn’t he in an Adam Sandler movie?

The Wedding Singer.

Will: “White Wedding” is a great song.

Boris: That is actually a great song. He looks a lot like Deryck Whibley (of Sum 41). I feel like Deryck modeled his look after him.

Have you ever considered covering a Billy Idol song?

Will: I’d do “White Wedding.”

Boris: I could get on board with that. There are a lot of ways to bastardize that song – It’s a nice day for a cardigan. It’s a nice for a … this is weird, my parents owned ferrets, and my mom used to say nice day for a wet weasel.

That probably has another meaning, I’m just gonna guess.

Boris: … or was it my dad who said that?



Nelson
Will: They have an identical twin situation going on. A very Spinal Tap look. I don’t know any of their music, but if I was just going off of the baseball card, I would choose this band to hang out with.

In terms of hair bands, and hair metal bands, were you influenced by any of them?

Will: I grew up with a lot of ‘80s stuff, but not so much hair metal. More like Bryan Adams, but you know, the whole Spinal Tap movement, all that stuff just really speaks to my childhood.

Boris: Yeah, Spinal Tap, definitely for me, but hair metal wasn’t really allowed in my household growing up.



Annihilator
Cam: I actually know of them because I’m from Ottawa and they’re from Ottawa, and back in the day when I was learning guitar I did this jam clinic thing where they basically put you in bands, and (frontman Jeff Waters) was one of the special guys they had in. He was really damned good, and I was like I’m gonna be as good as this guy.

Will: They were huge in Japan.

Cam: I’ve also heard they were not the nicest people.

But was he nice to you?

Cam: No.

But you said you were young, you were a kid.

Cam: Yeah. He didn’t talk to me. I was like Jeffery, Jeffery! He backhands me.

I don’t believe that.

Cam: That’s wise.



Eric Clapton
Nick: One of my biggest influences. The reason I started playing guitar.

Will: What do you play in the band?

Band: {laughs}

When was the first time you heard his music?

Nick: Probably when I was a child. We had a bunch of Clapton CDs. I remember “Layla” being played a lot.

You guys did that during your sound check.

Will: I do it for Nick.

Have you ever checked out the guitar festival he does?

Nick: Crossroads. Yeah. I’m also a big John Mayer fan, so that goes hand in hand because John was very influenced by Eric Clapton, and they’ve done Crossroads together.

Boris: I’ve got a dark Clapton comment. I was reading a book about The Clash, and it detailed this festival they played for anti-racism, or pro-immigrant, in the late ‘70s, and it was partially in response to anti-immigrant comments Clapton made.

Nick: He (also) stole George Harrison’s wife.

No one’s stolen anyone else’s wife from this group, right?

Boris: Not yet.

Will: I’d rather not say.



Sonic Youth
Julien: I don’t know their discography, but I’m super into their style. It’s really weird. I’m super into the dark, New York grunge scene. Those were lower Manhattan guys, from around here, actually.

(They had) really loud guitars. I was super into that. Weird noises. They’re really cool.

Are we in for weird noises later?

Julien: Yeah.

Will: I got a pretty cool weird one. The Rainbow Machine, that pink pedal there, it does some weird noises. Part of it says “magic,” and you just click it and you hope for the best. It’s fun.

Boris: Tell him about the pedal you were gonna get, but didn’t.

Will: I was gonna buy this pedal, it sounds really cool – Dr. Scientist BitQuest – but it was $400, and I was like, I’ll never use it. Now I see it everywhere. I was just four months ahead of the game.



Belinda Carlisle
Belinda was an absolute heartthrob to everyone in the ‘80s. Who were your personal heartthrobs from when you were growing up?

Nick: I’ll start. So, that girl in School of Rock who plays the bass, Katie, when that movie came out I watched it several times just to see her.

Will: Actually, we talk about this a lot, School or Rock was a very influential thing for this group. That movie came out, and starting a band, and being with your friends, that seemed to be a very inspiring thing. So I’m gonna go with Katie, as well.

Nick: Also the girl from National Lampoon’s Vacation, who’s married to Chevy Chase in the movie. There’s a scene where they open the shower curtain …

Was that one of those growing up moments for you?

Nick: That was like VHS, pause it, and then it’s got the fuzzy bars.

Will: We’re learning a lot about Nick today.

Boris: Since maybe I was six, or seven, That ‘70s Show, Mila Kunis. She, probably forever, will be my heartthrob.

So are you mad she ended up with Ashton Kutcher?

W: I’m actually happy that happened.

Boris: He seems like a pretty sweet dude. I like Ashton Kutcher. I like to think if that was my thing he would be my heartthrob. So yeah, it’s kind of perfect.

Cam: I was into Topanga (from Boy Meets World).

Will: Everyone you’re saying, I’m on board. We have similar taste.

Boris: Get your own heartthrob.

Cam: She’s mine. Also, Chelsea from That’s So Raven.

Anyone else have a heartthrob?

Boris: Jules man, heartthrob? Who’s your heartthrob?

Julien: Selena Gomez.

You’ll have to fight Justin Bieber for her, but that should be an easy battle.

Boris: Is Selena Gomez Canadian?

She seems to date Canadians.

Julien: So you’re saying there’s a chance.


For more of Kasador, check out KasadorBand.com.