Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey (born September 26, 1973)[1] is an American rock musician who is the lead singer, primary songwriter and second guitarist of Lovehammers.

[2] After years of building a strong local following in Chicago and the Midwest, Casey achieved international fame on the first season of the reality show Rock Star: INXS.

[2] Marty was a fan favorite on Rock Star: INXS,[2] receiving the most viewer votes,[3] and topping the download charts with his performances of both covers and original material.

When he was eight years old he met future Swinging Lovehammers bandmates Bobby and Dino Kourelis while playing together on a local T-Ball team.

After receiving a degree in Finance[4] at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign,[2] he worked part-time as a real estate appraiser[1][2][4] while continuing to record and tour with his band.

While touring with artists including Nickelback,[2][4] Jerry Cantrell, Interpol, New Found Glory, and Cake,[4] Casey and the Lovehammers began to build a small but loyal national following.

His musical influences include: Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Cyndi Lauper, Rob Bass, Joe Cocker, and Accept.

[4] Casey was a finalist in the annual John Lennon Songwriting Contest, with his song "Rain on the Brain," featured on the L'Strange album.

On his Rock Star: INXS blog, Casey wrote: "I love writing music and I think performing those creations completes the cycle and helps me define my life.

In 2008, following his success on Rockstar: INXS, Casey and fashion industry veteran, Marla Zegart, founded the Silver Elements collection.

Zegart is a fan of Casey and, on a whim, approached him after a show and "told him he had a great sense of style, and asked him if he would think of doing something together."

All purchases support the "Marty Casey Elements of Nature Fund," which plants trees in conjunction with American Forests "Global Releaf" Ecosystem Restoration Project.

The founding piece is the Trees Dog Tag necklace, named for the original song he first performed live on Rockstar: INXS.

[8] The collection has expanded to include not only jewelry and watches, but high end accessories such as leather bags, sunglasses, scarves, and even a photo frame.

You want to get up there and do this performance and you want to dress the part too; wear something unique to make yourself stand out, and when Marla came to me with the idea of beginning the line, she really understood that.