What happens when a band begins touring again for the first time in 15 years? If it’s the quintet known as Cap’n Jazz, they rock out like very few bands can.
After putting on two successful shows in Chicago earlier this month, Cap’n Jazz brought their mini-tour to the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Friday night. Playing to a sold-out venue, Cap’n Jazz put on a live show that lived up to the reputation that had been brewing since the band broke up a decade and a half ago.
Cap’n Jazz was formed in 1989 by brothers Tim and Mike Kinsella on vocals and drums, respectively, along with Sam Zurick on bass and Victor Villareal on guitar. They later added a second guitarist, Davey von Bohlen, to the mix. The band was still in high school when they started to garner an underground following.
By the end of 1993, they had appeared on several compilations and released two 7-inch records. In 1994, they released their only proper album "Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards In the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On and Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over" (Man Without Gun Records), which is also commonly known as "Schmap’n Schmazz." The band received a significant amount of attention for their frenetic style of punk-infused indie rock before they broke up in 1995.
In 1998, the double album anthology "Analphabetapolothology" was released through Jade Tree Records. This album included essentially every song Cap’n Jazz had recorded, including various live tracks, covers and unreleased b-sides. The album became highly influential in the Emo and Indie Rock scenes, shifting them to a more pop-punk sound that is highly recognized today. They even inspired the names of such prominent bands as We Are Scientists and Scary Kids Scaring Kids, among others.
After disbanding in 1995, the members of Cap’n Jazz went on to form several bands in the next decade, such as Make Believe, the Promise Ring, American Football, and Joan of Arc among a number others. In January, after being apart for 15 years, they played an unannounced show in Chicago before deciding to go on a small tour this summer.
It’s easy to imagine a band losing their touch after not playing together for 15 years. One of the most important things in putting on a good live set is the chemistry between band members. No matter how close the band is, being away from the material you’re playing for that long can cause all sorts of problems (it should be noted that each of the band members has played with one another in bands at various points in the last 15 years). If those problems ever existed, they certainly weren’t present Friday.
The band went through most of their discography, playing such fan favorites as “Little League” and “Que Suerte.” They even played a high-energy, slightly off kilter cover of Ah-ha’s “Take on Me” (which while appearing on"Analphabetapolothology," I wasn’t sure they were going to play but was delighted to hear it anyway).
A few curious things came up during the show. Tim Kinsella kept referring to a show played at the Beehive back in 1994 (which I’d never heard about, but apparently some guy in the crowd had played with them at that show). The crowd at the show was decidedly a late-teens, early-20s group, so it was possible a few kids there weren't alive when the band played their last show.
When Cap’n Jazz wrote their entire discography, they were the exact same age as the majority of this crowd. It’s kind of a strange thing for a person to return to anything they did in their late teens or early 20s. Even if the material is uncharacteristically mature for that age, it’s still tough to go back to it, especially in a setting like this, where they’re somewhat judged.
Still, Cap’n Jazz pressed on and they were judged, quite adoringly, by a following of devoted fans who were hearing live for the first time songs they had grown up with. While there’s a rough quality to their recordings that’s endearing to anyone who leans toward that genre of music (and the songs themselves are really good), it didn’t prepare the audience for the energy of the songs they played.
They played with an energy did not betray their age. And it might be because of that that the show was as tight as it was and more cohesive than the released live tracks would make one believe. They’ve clearly matured in their time away from Cap’n Jazz, but it’s clear that they still have a fondness for not only that period, but also for the music created during that time (again, it helps that the music in question is this strong).
Hopefully this tour isn’t the last everyone hears of Cap’n Jazz as a whole, but if it is, they couldn’t have asked for a better reunion.
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