Bob Casale dead at 61

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Devo's first two albums were two of the most creative rock albums ever. Inspired by Capt Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica", Devo burst onto a moribund rock scene that was desperate for something original.Bob Casale presented a whole new take on rock guitar that satirized the extravagances of the hippie generation.
Over the years the band became less creative, but those first two albums will always be hard to top.

Devo's Bob Casale dead of heart failure, brother says
By Alan Duke, CNN
updated 5:41 PM EST, Tue February 18, 2014
Bob Casale.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Bob Casale worked on many soundtracks for TV, film, commercials, video games
Bob Casale, 61, was known by Devo fans as "Bob 2"
Gerald Casale says his brother "was there in the trenches with me from the beginning"
Devo drummer Alan Meyers, who was with the group from 1976 to 1986, died last year.
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Los Angeles (CNN) -- Devo guitarist Bob Casale died Monday, his brother and band mate announced Tuesday. Casale was 61.
He was known by fans as "Bob 2" since he played alongside guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh, the brother of Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh.
"As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning," his brother Gerald Casale said in a Facebook posting. "He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got."
The new-wave band began after Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh met as art students at Kent State University. The group wrote its first music in May 1970 -- the same month National Guard troops fired on antiwar protesters on the Kent State campus, killing four students.
Devo style
Photos: People we lost in 2014
Devo actively toured in recent years, including a televised performance playing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
"He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again," Gerald Casale wrote in his brother's death announcement. "His sudden death from conditions that led to heart failure came as a total shock to us all."
Mark Mothersbaugh issued a statement Tuesday saying he was "shocked and saddened" by Casale's death.
"He not only was integral in Devo's sound, he worked over 20 years at Mutato, collaborating with me on 60 or 70 films and television shows, not to mention countless commercials and many video games," said Mothersbaugh.  "Bob was instrumental in creating the sound of projects as varied as Rugrats and Wes Anderson's films. He was a great friend. I will miss him greatly."
Mutato is the name of the band's headquarters, a landmark on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard.
The band's name was derived from the word "de-evolution" -- the idea that humans are regressing into a destructive herd mentality, Gerald Casale told CNN in an interview in February 2010.
"When you think about 1980, if somebody would have showed you in a crystal ball (for) 2010, you would have thought it was a bad joke," Casale said. "De-evolution happened and now everybody agrees. They don't think we're crazy. They know that it was true."
Devo drummer Alan Myers, who was with the group from 1976 to 1986, died last year.
People we've lost in 2014
CNN's Henry Hanks contributed to this report.

Edited by js - 19 Feb 2014 at 1:52am

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js Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Memphis Status: Offline Points: 34128	Post Options Post Reply Quote js Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Bob Casale dead at 61 Posted: 19 Feb 2014 at 1:47am
	Devo's first two albums were two of the most creative rock albums ever. Inspired by Capt Beefheart's "Trout Mask Replica", Devo burst onto a moribund rock scene that was desperate for something original. Bob Casale presented a whole new take on rock guitar that satirized the extravagances of the hippie generation. Over the years the band became less creative, but those first two albums will always be hard to top. Devo's Bob Casale dead of heart failure, brother says By Alan Duke, CNN updated 5:41 PM EST, Tue February 18, 2014 Bob Casale. STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: Bob Casale worked on many soundtracks for TV, film, commercials, video games Bob Casale, 61, was known by Devo fans as "Bob 2" Gerald Casale says his brother "was there in the trenches with me from the beginning" Devo drummer Alan Meyers, who was with the group from 1976 to 1986, died last year. < id="179cc9ea480c1691" name="179cc9ea480c1691" width="150" height="90" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" border="0" scrolling="no" ="http://ads.cnn.com/.ng/site=cnn&cnn_=150x90_spon1&cnn_rollup=us&page.allowcompete=no&s.styles=fs&s.User.UserID=52feaea4079f2e0a3c6b804c3f042ce5&transID=13927958364342578621186048&tile=6116385972931&domId=179cc9ea480c1691&kxid=mxb0wkhgb&kxseg=" =" adunit_150x90" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: line; : relative; top: 0px; left: 0px;"> Los Angeles (CNN) -- Devo guitarist Bob Casale died Monday, his brother and band mate announced Tuesday. Casale was 61. He was known by fans as "Bob 2" since he played alongside guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh, the brother of Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh. "As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning," his brother Gerald Casale said in a Facebook posting. "He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got." The new-wave band began after Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh met as art students at Kent State University. The group wrote its first music in May 1970 -- the same month National Guard troops fired on antiwar protesters on the Kent State campus, killing four students. Devo style Photos: People we lost in 2014 Devo actively toured in recent years, including a televised performance playing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. "He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again," Gerald Casale wrote in his brother's death announcement. "His sudden death from conditions that led to heart failure came as a total shock to us all." Mark Mothersbaugh issued a statement Tuesday saying he was "shocked and saddened" by Casale's death. "He not only was integral in Devo's sound, he worked over 20 years at Mutato, collaborating with me on 60 or 70 films and television shows, not to mention countless commercials and many video games," said Mothersbaugh. "Bob was instrumental in creating the sound of projects as varied as Rugrats and Wes Anderson's films. He was a great friend. I will miss him greatly." Mutato is the name of the band's headquarters, a landmark on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard. The band's name was derived from the word "de-evolution" -- the idea that humans are regressing into a destructive herd mentality, Gerald Casale told CNN in an interview in February 2010. "When you think about 1980, if somebody would have showed you in a crystal ball (for) 2010, you would have thought it was a bad joke," Casale said. "De-evolution happened and now everybody agrees. They don't think we're crazy. They know that it was true." Devo drummer Alan Myers, who was with the group from 1976 to 1986, died last year. People we've lost in 2014 CNN's Henry Hanks contributed to this report. Edited by js - 19 Feb 2014 at 1:52am