Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers
Encyclopedia
Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers is the solo project of Devo
bassist and "chief strategist" Gerald Casale
. It also includes contributions from Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob "1" Mothersbaugh, and his brother Bob "2" Casale. It also adds drummer Josh Freese, who had previously only worked with them when DEVO was on tour.
The band released a three song EP
through the iTunes Music Store and other music download services titled Army Girls Gone Wild. A full-length album, Mine Is Not A Holy War was released in stores by Cordless Recordings
on 12 September 2006. The album was released on iTunes on 22 August 2006. Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers play in a hard, blues-influenced style. Their debut album includes versions of several songs from the Hardcore Devo
-era of Devo's recordings.
The project received little promotion, beyond a music video for the song "Army Girls Gone Wild." Jihad Jerry performed at several shows near the end of Devo's 2006 tour, performing the song "Beautiful World," and occasionally with other bands. Casale is quoted as saying "People are kind of freaked out by the Jihad Jerry stuff. I thought they’d all think it was really funny and get off on it but people are really offended and scared...I think that’s it. I don’t want them to have Jihad Jerry to kick around anymore!". This would seem to indicate (alongside Devo's recent reformation) that the project is on indefinite hiatus.
Unable to finish his education and trapped in a theocracy which he thought of as narrow-minded and sexually segregated, Jihad declared war on the prejudice and ignorance that had so wronged him. Music became his weapon. Eventually, he earned enough money to flee from Iran and settle in Yonkers, New York. There he had little success putting together a band. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, Jihad Jerry found new meaning to his message; "the enemy is not the Muslim, the Christian, or the Jew, but stupidity itself". His band "Jihad Jerry and the Evildoers" was soon formed.
on CD. Featuring remixed version of the original three songs, the album also included four reworked Devo songs: "Beehive," "I Been Refused," "Find Out" and "I Need a Chick." The album also featured a cover of The Yardbirds
"He's Always There." "If the Shoe Fits" was previously heard that year on the CD by Devo 2.0
under the title "The Winner," featuring significantly different lyrics.
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
bassist and "chief strategist" Gerald Casale
Gerald Casale
Gerald Vincent Casale , often known as Jerry Casale, is a vocalist, bass guitar/synthesizer player, and a founding member of the new wave band Devo...
. It also includes contributions from Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob "1" Mothersbaugh, and his brother Bob "2" Casale. It also adds drummer Josh Freese, who had previously only worked with them when DEVO was on tour.
The band released a three song EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
through the iTunes Music Store and other music download services titled Army Girls Gone Wild. A full-length album, Mine Is Not A Holy War was released in stores by Cordless Recordings
Cordless Recordings
Cordless Recordings is a netlabel owned by Warner Music Group. The label was founded in 2005 by Jac Holzman, who also founded Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records.-Affiliation with Rykodisc - Present:...
on 12 September 2006. The album was released on iTunes on 22 August 2006. Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers play in a hard, blues-influenced style. Their debut album includes versions of several songs from the Hardcore Devo
Hardcore Devo: Volume One
Hardcore Devo: Volume One is the first of two collections of demos released by the post-punk/new wave band Devo. It is currently out of print.-Overview:...
-era of Devo's recordings.
The project received little promotion, beyond a music video for the song "Army Girls Gone Wild." Jihad Jerry performed at several shows near the end of Devo's 2006 tour, performing the song "Beautiful World," and occasionally with other bands. Casale is quoted as saying "People are kind of freaked out by the Jihad Jerry stuff. I thought they’d all think it was really funny and get off on it but people are really offended and scared...I think that’s it. I don’t want them to have Jihad Jerry to kick around anymore!". This would seem to indicate (alongside Devo's recent reformation) that the project is on indefinite hiatus.
Alter Ego
Jihad Jerry was born in Tehran, Iran while the Shah of Iran was still in power. His father was an Iranian barber and his mother was an Irish-American midwife. He attended a private co-ed school in the region where he earned good grades. Even foreigners took attention to young Jihad and he received an academic scholarship to the University of North Pittsburgh. However, he was not able to leave Iran to attend due to the recent revolution in 1979 lead by the Ayatollah Khomeini. He then found work as a rug salesman.Unable to finish his education and trapped in a theocracy which he thought of as narrow-minded and sexually segregated, Jihad declared war on the prejudice and ignorance that had so wronged him. Music became his weapon. Eventually, he earned enough money to flee from Iran and settle in Yonkers, New York. There he had little success putting together a band. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, Jihad Jerry found new meaning to his message; "the enemy is not the Muslim, the Christian, or the Jew, but stupidity itself". His band "Jihad Jerry and the Evildoers" was soon formed.
Army Girls Gone Wild (2005)
First released November 8, 2005, the album and its content was available only by download. It contained early mixes of three songs that would later be put in the final full album (Mine is Not a Holy War). After the full album's release in 2006, Army Girls Gone Wild was discontinued.- Army Girls Gone Wild [2:50]
- Beehive [3:11]
- The Owl [3:01]
Mine is Not a Holy War (2006)
First released on August 22, 2006 via download through iTunes. On September 12, 2006 it was released by Cordless RecordingsCordless Recordings
Cordless Recordings is a netlabel owned by Warner Music Group. The label was founded in 2005 by Jac Holzman, who also founded Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records.-Affiliation with Rykodisc - Present:...
on CD. Featuring remixed version of the original three songs, the album also included four reworked Devo songs: "Beehive," "I Been Refused," "Find Out" and "I Need a Chick." The album also featured a cover of The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
"He's Always There." "If the Shoe Fits" was previously heard that year on the CD by Devo 2.0
Devo 2.0
Devo 2.0 was a quintet, created for Walt Disney Records , of child actors who sing, dance, and mime playing instruments along to songs re-recorded by some of the original members of Devo...
under the title "The Winner," featuring significantly different lyrics.
- The Time is Now [2:59] (Gerald V. Casale)
- Army Girls Gone Wild [2:48] (Gerald V. Casale/Peter Gregg)
- Danger [2:54] (Gerald V. Casale/Robert Casale)
- Beehive (Album Version) [3:08] (Gerald V. Casale/Peter Gregg)
- I Been Refused [2:25] (Gerald V. Casale/Peter Gregg)
- The Owl [3:05] (Gerald V. Casale)
- What's In a Name? [3:29] (Gerald V. Casale)
- If the Shoe Fits [2:18] (Gerald V. Casale/Mark Mothersbaugh)
- All She Wrote [2:53] (Gerald V. Casale)
- Find Out [2:52] (Gerald V. Casale/Mark Mothersbaugh)
- He's Always There [2:24] (Jim McCarty/Paul Samwell-Smith)
- I Need a Chick [3:19] (Gerald V. Casale/Peter Gregg)
External links
- Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers MySpace
- [ Allmusic's biography of Jihad Jerry]