Cap Gun Suicide

Cap Gun Suicide goes off in your head


By Stephen Arthur
Barometer Staff Writer

Eugene is known for many things, such as sweltering heat, masses of people decked out in nauseatingly bright yellow and green clothes, grass seed pollen thick in the air like snow, riots, those delightful junior anarchists and one of the newest thorns in society's side, the proactive, punk production Cap Gun Suicide.

While it is hard to believe that a good punk band can come from a college town, Cap Gun Suicide mirrors traditional punk rhythms and lyrics while setting their style, much like Bad Religion and the Descendants, on their self titled debut. Their lyrics and quick rifts are not forced into the watered down pop-loop mold that dominates "radio punk," and allows lead vocalist Dirt, aka Danny P., to express the type of true contempt that has inspired social disobedience for generations.

There are roughly three elements that a group needs to be considered a somewhat decent punk band, and Cap Gun Suicide pops them all. The first requirement is for the lyrics to be screamed in a somewhat flat tone, but not to the point of incoherence. This is because of the need to preach the band's general distaste for society and spread the message to those who listen.

"Death by meat and breeding" is a great example of Cap Gun Suicide's social satire. Boasting a fairly self explanatory title, this track is about the ignorance of the dominate U.S. culture, which encourages having children and eating greasy beef, to the fact the world is overpopulated and ecologically headed for the toilet.

"Bombs in the mail" is also a nice and neat package that sums up how Americans are encouraged to turn a deaf ear to the problems that their government exacerbates in other nations in order to provide the cushion of comfort for wealthy Americans.

An excellent drummer is the second necessity, because the engine for all great punk songs is the pace set by the kick drum, and Jesse Caps rips through the tracks like a thresher in a corn field. It is quite difficult to find a drummer, even in nationally known bands, who can play a mellow reggae back beat and jump up to a double time bass and thrash the brass before flipping the switch back to the previous beat.

"Don't shoot until you see the whites" not only sets a great pace for the album as the intro track but it also displays Cap's musical ability with its solid acceleration in beat count and holding a steady cruise control at the climax pace. "One too many" and "Nightmare on the Rocks" also display classic punk drum lines that are exceedingly difficult, and showcase the twelve years that Caps has been behind a kit.

The third requirement is for the name of the band to be sown and known in the areas it plays. This is crucial because besides serving as a basis for an impromptu gig to collect beer money, loyal fans will travel to shows out of town and add to their impact.

Once again Cap Gun Suicide shows its hand by playing at seven different venues throughout Eugene and having gigs in Corvallis, Salem and even PDX. Couple this type of local exposure with the fact that they have given away hundreds of free copies of their CD at their live shows, and it is easy to see that they are setting the stage to rise into a larger concert circuit, and possibly one day into national circulation.

Bottom line: this band definitely displays a musical talent and keeps true to the adage "it's really all about the music" by maintaining their strong local roots. There are also several other features that are embraced by the album, like tossing in some quasi-ska songs like "To the place" and the ability to wrap up a 13 song CD in a little under twenty nine minutes, that show this band has true potential. Grade A-


Stephen Arthur is a staff writer for the Summer Barometer.

He can be reached at arthurs@onid.orst.edu.

- Stephen Arthur is a staff writer for the Summer Barometer.

Cap Gun Suicide - Songs Derived From 1000 Psychotic Episodes... - 2004 - Self-ProducedFirst of all, if this disc is self-produced...it is easily the best disc I have ever had cross my desk! Second, the packaging of the album is fantastic! The CD case is like a composition notebook that one would use during school, realistic right down to the etchings, graffiti and cursing! Awesome! The disc inside the case makes the whole package even better! Cap Gun Suicide play punk rock that approaches pop-punk but with an urgency unheard of in today's power pop bands. I often find myself thinking that CGS sounds like a mix of MXPX, Anti-Flag and the Ataris all rolled up into a neat and tidy package! CGS has a message, but it isn't nearly as overbearing as say, Anti-Flag, but again the urgency of the songs and the message really pushes me in that direction. The trio keeps the beats fast and furious, forcing the guitars to just mash out anything that they can in the alotted time, which adds the feel of the disc moving fast...and I like fast...real fast!! Meanwhile the drums are just being beaten into submission behind everything. With the drums moving at the same Mach speed as the guitars and vocals, one gets that feeling that if MXPX meets the Ataris they might have to be on speed just to compete with Cap Gun Suicide! So anyway, you get 10 tracks on the disc, all of which move fast! You'll be begging for more by the end of the disc! The last track has some hidden material that you gotta be patient for...you won't be disappointed! I think Cap Gun Suicide are great, and I hope that this disc really gets them to where they want to be. And you know what? I have a real good feeling that it will! -MG
www.hussieskunk.com

- Hussieskunk