Ryan Cassata Lights a Fire Under the ‘QUEER american DREAM’ on ‘Greetings from Echo Park’
Ryan Cassata (he/him) bares his teeth on ‘QUEER american DREAM,’ the fierce and fearless new single off ‘Greetings from Echo Park,’ his first LP for Kill Rock Stars.
Out June 6, the album captures the folk punk artist and trans rights activist at a breaking point—then pushing through it. On ‘QUEER american DREAM,’ Cassata spits back the loneliness and rage of navigating a country that often erases people like him, channeling Springsteen bravado through a lens of queerness, punk grit, and working-class poetry. It’s raw, melodic resistance, punched up with a mission. Cassata is demanding space.
Ryan Cassata: My favorite lyrics of the song are:
“I’m a toxic New Yorker with panic disorder
Ride the subway without holding on
I kept all my shirts from St. Marks, Since before Brownstein’s scars
Spent hours and hours, thinking of oppressors in powers
like when will we be free?
I’ve been preaching since I was a teen
But when you’re queer, there’s NO american dream”
I’ve spent a long time searching for the american dream, whatever that is. I think the american dream is designed for the oppressor, and very few oppressed people can actually access it. It’s usually only possible if you’re heteronormative and cis-normative. I think part of me, especially because I came out as trans as a kid, thought that the american dream was being able to fit into the society, being one of them, being in the in-crowd. Now I realize that I don’t want to be in their in-crowd. Sure, blending in is nice for safety reasons, especially in this political climate. But, really I want to be with my community, the queer community, being flamboyant, being authentic, being free and very, very queer. I don’t want to suppress any part of my queerness or transness for the comfort of the oppressor. The queer american dream for me is being in community with one another, feeling totally authentically me, and getting to experience the queer and trans joy that happens when we come together.
“I’m so sorry, have a drink on me”… because it’s hard when you realize that you’ll never fit into the society.
“Just relax, let your mind go free…” because we have to search to be authentic so we can set ourselves free, and often we need to be surrounded by other queers who are living authentically for that to happen, that community support goes a long way.
“we won’t be young for the rest of our lives…” We need to stop searching to fit into cis-society, to me that’s a waste of time, we need to be free how we are, and enjoy life as much as we can. I enjoy life the most when I’m surrounded by my beautiful queer community. The queer community uplifts me in ways I have needed since I was a young trans person. Really what I’ve been searching for this entire time was community. And community surrounds me.
I’ve been out for 17 years as trans, and just about 20 years as bisexual/queer. The queer american dream is real to me now. And to sum it all up…it’s about getting to be in community with each other. What a blessing and a privilege that is.
I recorded this song in my garage. I wanted to make a rock n’ roll song because I love rock n’ roll. Kyle especially killed it on the drums, playing a really unique beat that’s a hook in itself.
The song just came to me naturally. I speak about my top surgery done by Dr. Brownstein, I talk about having an anxiety disorder that is fueled by the hate of the right, I talk about becoming an activist at age 13 going into schools and educating them about the trans community, I talk about searching for the freedom in society, equality in society. I do believe that freedom in society will one day come, but it may not be in our lifetimes. So I know I must continue to be an activist, continue to protest and write protest songs, and continue to have fun with my community.
Headline photo: Alla Arutcheva
Ryan Cassata Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
Kill Rock Stars Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X / Bandcamp / YouTube
