Covers Monday.

Watch Casey perform Pyro by Kings of Leon on YouTube!

Casey Cavanagh Band opens for Cartel.

“Since seventh grade, music has been a huge part of my life. Coming to JMU and meeting the right people has really enabled me to take my music to a new level,” junior Casey Cavanagh said.

Cavanagh is the face of the Casey Cavanagh Band founded at James Madison University in 2009 with band mates John Giardinere, Sam Gillett, and Jeff Pober. Cavanagh is lead vocals and also plays guitar.

“It taught me how to be a leader,” Cavanagh said. “I don’t just play, sing and write –  I book, manage, etc.”

The band is an eclectic mix of folk, pop, alternative-country and rock to create an energetic sound. In the past year, they’ve played a majority of the local venues including Blue Nile and Clementine, rocked Open Mic Nights in JMU’s own TDU, opened for Cartel, performed in Kappa Alpha Theta’s annual Madison Idol, and have produced music on iTunes.

The band also produces their own Covers Monday. At the start of each week, Cavanagh uploads a new video to the Casey Cavanagh Band Facebook fan page, his own profile and their YouTube channel. Covers include Augustana’s “Stars and Boulevards,” Ryan Adams’ “Come Pick Me Up,” and The Damnwells “I Am a Leaver.”

Cavanagh also incorporates covers into his shows. When I saw the band live at Clementine in September, they performed Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and “All the Small Things” by Blink 182 – crowd favorites.

“His concerts are electric,” junior Alyssa Viars said. “There’s this one song where he jumps really high with his guitar in his hand – epic. Note to Woody Harrelson: white men can jump.”

Cavanagh says he’ll wait and see where playing with these people will take him before deciding on the future of his music.

“You never know what the next door will be like when you open it up,” Cavanagh said.