Captain Hollow

It’s been nearly 12 hours since local noise-rockers Captain Hollow and Haru Bangs left the stage of Port City Music Hall, and my ears are still ringing. Check that, bleeding. Profusely. On Tuesday the two bands split the bill as part of the venue’s ongoing “Two” series, featuring two local acts for $2, for a night of cacophonous guitars and shredded vocal cords that, without a doubt, left everyone in attendance with a constant din in their ear for the rest of their work week. Did I mention it was loud?

Haru Bangs

Opening act Haru Bangs kicked off the night with a set of explosive songs combining breakneck hardcore-punk rhythms, sludgy death-metal riffing and effects-laden noise freak-outs that quickly raised both the volume and intensity in the room to 11, and caused all newborn infants within a ten-mile area to simultaneously cry out in agony. But apparently that wasn’t enough for the Bangs’ lead guitarist, who in apparent dissatisfaction with the level of crowd participation, decided to take matters into his own hands (literally and figuratively), by making an impromptu trip through the audience to ‘re-arrange’ the metal barrier in front of the stage, along with several concert-goers, in an effort to get the crowd flailing uncontrollably.

While the move may or may not have prompted at least one security guard to stand and scowl by the edge of the stage, I have to admit, with the current state of rock as placid as it is, it’s refreshing to see a live band go completely ape-shit and mangle something every now and then. The driving momentum and furious guitar squalor carried on for the remainder of the set, with a dizzying array of effects and bone-crunching riffs propelled by an absolutely relentless rhythm section that truly was something to behold.

The lyrics were largely inaudible, and the deafening wall of sound certainly may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but seeing Haru Bangs live was a welcome change of pace from the monotony of many live acts. That alone is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat, and the brink of your sanity.


Headliners Captain Hollow, who hail from Bangor with the exception of lead guitarist Jakob Battick (Portland), continued the evenings aural-assault with their unique blend of frenetic off-kilter rhythms, spastic guitar work and inspired vocal wails. Opener ‘Hour of Need’ set the tone for the remainder of the set, with furiously strummed guitars and anguished howls spiraling into open-string dissonance and back again, somewhat reminiscent of early 90’s noise-rockers Polvo, Chavez and Dinosaur Jr. While the approach has certainly been taken before, each song maintained a strong identity from the next, with clearly distinct guitar parts and sincere vocal takes, albeit sometimes screamed at decibel-defying levels. You could call it ‘emo’ at times, but what this band definitely has is heart, which counts a lot in my book, and in listening to the first album to the demo of their forthcoming album, I think the recent addition of Battick on guitar will only open this band to even greater influences and possibilities in time to come.

On a side note, if music isn’t your thing this band also has some of the most amusingly bizarre album artwork I’ve seen from a local band, featuring collages of wholesome familial portraiture obliterated by scenes of pure and utter depravity (think Norman Rockwell on a harrowing acid trip to the center of his mind). Either way, check them out. - Dispatch Magazine

If our recent review of this, the newest album by 19-year old South Portland native Jesse Gertz didn’t have you hooked on Glass Fingers, Wednesday night’s show at SPACE Gallery at 538 Congress St. in Portland might just do the trick. The indie-electronic fusion act will be joined by fellow Maine natives Captain Hollow and Brooklyn noise-punk band Pterodactlyl for a show that is going to be as varied in its lineup as it will be loud.
Although Gertz has been releasing music for years under various names prior to Glass Fingers, it wasn’t until this that the prolific songwriter truly gained the attention of the Portland music press with the album receiving universal critical acclaim. Combining intricate electronic production with genuinely confessional songwriting, this still stands as one of the best releases of 2011.
Starting up where their chaotic noise-rock band 1800s Sea Monster stopped four years ago, Jakob Battick, Ryan Higgins and Patrcic Cunningham have come together once again in Captain Hollow. Combing the intricate guitar work of post-punk trendsetters Mission of Burma and Fugazi with the everything-on-the-line intensity of early ’90s emo, Captain Hollow has many in Portland seeing a new side of Battick compared to his dream-folk output of the last three years. “I suppose it’s in my nature to be somewhat contrarian, at least in regards to the music I make,” said Battick. “As soon as people start attaching expectations to what they’re percieving of my character it’s time to flip the script.”
And flip the script he has, if the first taste of Battick’s contribution to Captain Hollow the single, “Hour Of Need” is any indication, their full-length, set to be released later in the year, will be filled with ferocious and angular guitar rock and likely will be one of the year’s most exciting releases in Maine.
The doors for Wednesday night’s show open at 8 p.m. with tickets available at the door for $8 and like most SPACE Gallery shows, it’s 18+. - USM Free Press

Not many people in Maine may know this, but a little band in Bangor by the name of 1800s Sea Monster had earned an unprecedented international following in their few years of existence. It wasn’t a “shit dude, lets get sponsored by Mountain Dew” level, but their unique listener count on Last.fm far exceeds some of Maine’s most popular bands including Rustic Overtones and As Fast As.

Through the popular music website and an assortment of music blogs, the experimental high school band cultivated a unique following, but the band slowly petered as lead singer and founder Jakob Battick moved southward for college and began new musical projects of his own.

Now four years after the band’s official split and three years after a one-off folk project, Battick has reunited with two of his friends and former bandmates — Ryan Higgins and Patric Cunningham — and this time, he’s not playing lead.

This new beast — a rock band called Captain Hollow — is led by Higgins on vocals and guitar; Cunningham plays drums, Kyle Mallory plays bass, and Battick has joined for extra guitar work and miscellaneous noise. The band’s new lineup debuts tonight at 8 P.M. at the Flask Lounge in a show with Pamola, Powers, and a touring band from New York, The Whisperians. The show is free, and Captain Hollow will hand out some limited edition CDs and stickers to those who attend. In the next two days, they will play in Fall River and Bangor; next week, Mexico.

What follows below is an interview with Higgins and Battick about their musical reunion, the evolving sound of the band, and creative collaboration. To enhance your reading, play their new single right here. Read on.



“Hour of Need” takes Captain Hollow to a much darker place than the previous batch of recordings. And not just that: the pop song structures are gone and an experimental mindset has replaced it. What happened? Why has there been such a dramatic change in sound?

Ryan Higgins:Hopefully, the pop structure is still alive and well in most other new songs. I think this particular song we recorded is a stretch towards our more brash side. We have finally solidified our lineup, and we are now able to be ourselves. We try to remain at a point between poppy and experimental without putting ourselves in any distinct direction, I guess. We just like to play what comes natural.

What is going through your head when you’re writing your songs? There is obviously some form of anger or emotion, but can you pinpoint what’s getting to you?

RH: When Kyle, Patric, and I wrote and recorded the first EP, we were seventeen/sixteen years old. We were mostly messing around and having fun with instruments. I suppose there is a certain teenage sound to the first songs that has definitely matured. My songwriting process on the whole has changed completely.

Jakob Battick is certainly new to the band, but you two and Patric have a deep musical history together. What was the last time you played toegther before Captain Hollow and why was Battick added to the lineup?

RH: Jakob has been a best friend of mine for a very long time, and a musical collaborator for as long as Patric and I have been playing music at all. I think the last time we have actually played together in a band was in Mt. Moon, which was in 2008. We needed a new guitar player and it seemed like an obvious choice for us. He was doing his own thing for a long time and finally came back to playing louder music, so it worked out perfectly.

[Addressed to Battick:] what brought you to Captain Hollow?

Jakob Battick: I grew up with Ryan Higgins and Patric Cunningham. We have been in several bands together and learned to play music together. The history there is long and storied, and it just felt natural all of a sudden for it to be picked up again. It’s been an incredible thrill to be making music with them again, they’re like little brothers to me, but I also see them as total musical equals.

You have an undeniable presence o - Dispatch Magazine

At the ripe old age of 19, Ryan Higgins is getting back to his roots with his new band; his loud, gleefully noisy roots, along with several of his old band mates from his very first band.

The Bangor-based indie-punk four-piece Captain Hollow is made up of guitarist-vocalist Higgins, fellow guitarist-vocalist Jakob Battick, bass player Kyle Mallory and drummer Pat Cunningham. All but Mallory were in the Bangor High School-based band 1800s Sea Monster — a high-energy garage band with theatrical tendencies including the liberal use of stuffed animals, cardboard cutouts and confetti.

“It’s still kind of weird how well we work together, after getting out of high school and doing other stuff,” said Higgins. “We just get along. We have fun. We’re all really, really good friends.”

In the four years since that band broke up, Higgins, Battick and Cunningham have been in more than six different bands both in Bangor and in Portland. They range from Battick’s psychedelic indie folk projects Mt. Moon and Jakob Battick & Friends, to Higgins and Cunningham’s dreamy, acoustic duo In Houses In Trees, as well as Good Kids Sprouting Horns, which Higgins is in with Anthony Bitetti and Jessamy Luthin. Captain Hollow takes them back to the beginning, in some ways — though with lots more amassed skill.

“Everyone was playing acoustic guitars, and really, that’s never been what’s interested me,” said Higgins. “I wanted to play in a louder band, and eventually we all came around to it. I like acoustic guitars, sure, but this is a lot more where I want to be, in terms of music. That’s totally more my style.”

Higgins started the band in early 2010, but didn’t release an album until March 2011, with a self-titled EP that’s still available for download at their Bandcamp page. Captain Hollow plays a raucous, sometimes explosive brand of hard-edged indie rock in the vein of Fugazi, Cursive and Superchunk — miles away from the shimmery, pretty indie folk of In Houses In Trees. The band was, at first, just Higgins, Cunningham and Mallory; Battick signed on over this past summer.

“We played a house show earlier this year in Brunswick that was just completely insane. People were totally packed into this tiny upstairs bedroom,” said Higgins. “Jakob came up to us afterwards and said it was one of the best shows he’d been to in forever, and he wanted to join the band. It was kind of a missing link moment for us. He an amazing musician. He thinks of things no one else would.”

A single, “Hour of Need,” featuring the new lineup was released in August. For the rest of the year, the band intends to hunker down in the studio with Orono producer Anthony Bitetti to record its debut full-length, due out in February 2012. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/captainhollow. - Bangor daily news

"If you’ve been in search of emotionally charged indie-rock (ok, fine—it’s emo music, but the really good kind), this band packs a formidable punch. There are catchy guitar hooks, wrenching vocals, and some explosive moments mixed in. I feel like there aren’t as many bands doing this anymore—at least in a top notch way—and Captain Hollow’s music says, 'yeah, we’re doing it.'"

-Dylan Martin//Dispatch Magazine - Dispatch Magazine