We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Frost Newcastle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Frost, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

The first time I ever wanted to pursue a path in music was when I was hanging out with some of my friends from WAY back in the day, they brought me to an all-girl bands Band Practice, the band was called The Unloved and I was mesmerized by the drummer. After watching an entire practice in awe, I decided I wanted to play drums, from there I went through a few meaningful bands and projects as a full-time drummer, my first band being a SKA band, a Punk band, then onto more notable projects No Yoko & Before the War… It was after Before the War broke up that I began experimenting with synth programming and dove into keyboards. Soon after I tried out for Sworn to Secrecy as a synth player and toured with them for 4 years. That band changed my entire life and really taught me the business aspect of music and also helped me build my confidence as a stage performer and set the tone for things to come. My next project was called Vela Virgo with my best friend Shane, it was the first time creating a band from scratch and from my own hands, so it was a very personal experience and the first time I began singing on stage as well. At the time it made me feel very exposed and I wasn’t very confident in myself when it came to my voice and singing abilities yet. Despite that, I powered through it because you know what they always say, you’ll always be your own worst critic. (haha) Cartilage Casanova came from the idea of creating for the first time something I had always wanted to personally do… create a band that consisted of all electronics…but still had a “performance” aspect to it. This is when longtime friend Wayste Baker and I founded the band back in 2018 and started creating our first recordings. Wayste is no longer in the project, but we are still great friends and collaborate from time to time still. Cartilage Casanova is a solo act in its current form, but always open to having another keyboard player and an electronic drummer if the vibe is right.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Everyone just calls me Frost, I’ve been in the music scene and an active supporter/musician since I was 15, I’m actually 35 now but definitely still have a HUGE imagination! (haha). My fascination with dark medical themes and dark technology/scifi probably came from some of my upbringing, most of my family is in the medical field and I loved looking at all the medical slides my family had in their projector wheels! Since I was more “creative brained”, I think that turned into something “creative” over time instead of something “Academic” so to speak…That with an early knowledge of computers sort of led me to where I am aesthetically and sonically in my music and art.

I love putting on a very animated performance and interacting with the crowd (something I’m still working on even today), but most of all the end goal is to create an “experience”. The band has an entire lore and story behind it, and the stage will eventually be able to transport the viewers/listeners to this strange world… The large backdrops, to the lighting, the stage makeup, the costumes, the songs and the lyrical content. I definitely seem to cater more towards fans of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and New Wave Artists with a definite electronic 80s flare but with a big touch of modern and some post-punk influences in the songs. The stage show will transport the audience inside of the Spaceship of the Skeletonic beings known as “Programmers”. These entities come from a place that exists at the outside edge of the ever-expanding big bang and is called “The Grid”. It is a real and tangible place, not a simulation or a computer… within the walls of The Grid exists a system of energy known as The Blood Circuit…. these paths make up the circuit boards of the universe so to speak, the code for how physics and other natural phenomena interact with one another. Skeletonic beings within The Grid are in charge of maintaining and operating the Blood Circuit. This is all powered by the Ultimate Power-Source known as The Black Chalice.

One of the things I’m most proud of is incorporating prop building, atmosphere, and lore into the music. This is all finally getting off the ground and in the early stages still but this year it’s been a big goal to really push that part of the band.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

First of all, I think that the ecosystem really starts with the artists supporting one another. From day one my ex-band mate Wayste and I made it a point to really support every band we perform with locally and even when we are on tour. We did that by taking pictures and video of all bands that were performing on shows and did Instagram stories tagging them and actually truly listening and connecting with them from a sincere and honest standpoint. We think that all bands should follow this route and it creates a very amazing environment and network for fellow listeners and artists alike. From a listener’s standpoint I think it’s important for people to make sure to follow artists you like as soon as you hear them on Instagram and all their social media accounts. A lot of times I see people missing shows for their favorite up and coming artists simply because they didn’t hear about the show until the day after or later. It really is a matter of communication and exposure of information. Bands need to make sure and acknowledge fans and keep an open mind to new merch and promotional ideas as well. Listeners should buy merch from bands they like either at shows or online, this really helps them and empowers artists to go on tour and come to their cities!

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I know you all have probably heard this before in recent interviews, but when the pandemic hit it really derailed a lot of momentum we had going for a while. There was also a random ex-girlfriend from 10 years ago who went crazy during the pandemic and wanted to try and destroy the band and my entire life during the latter half of 2020! (We ended up having to sue them for 70,000$, but that’s a story for another interview! lol)

Before the pandemic we had tour and show plans with bigger artists, release plans, things were really going well and that threw a wrench in a lot of other artists plans too! Many artists ceased to exist or just stopped playing shows altogether when it was finally over. Luckily, we managed to keep things going, unfortunately Wayste decided to focus on himself and quit music, that was one of the hardest things I ever had to deal with in this band, Losing Wayste and pushing forward with a replacement. I did try out a few people, but nothing really panned out. I was discouraged but decided “The Show Must Go On”. I then spent 6 solid months converting the entire live performance into a 1 man show, it was long and grueling work… Wayste also had to help on multiple occasions to get things to where they needed to be. After much perseverance, I feel confident and can happily say that Cartilage Casanova as a solo performance is very successful now and I have many shows under my belt just me on keytar and vocals along with some help from of course fog, lights, and imagery. Right now I am working on a 5 to 6 song Single called “VOIDS”, this will also debut our first music video for the band and feature 4 or 5 other songs that have yet to be released. The 3rd full album is also underway, but I wont get ahead of myself here talking about the 3rd album when the single hasnt even come out yet lol.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cartilagecasanova.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartilagecasanova/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CartilageCasanova/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/gothhomevideo
• Other: SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/736vaF4lMSGZ0YuaJqlMbG

Image Credits
All images were taken by Cartilage Casanova or Associated Affiliates