Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Space Captain splashes the canvas of its lean, muscular pop sound with colorful splotches of psychedelia. But the band manages to avoid the jammy, noodling excesses of which too many psychedelic bands are guilty.
-George Lenker, Arts Writer, The Republican, Springfield MA
- Republican
Space Captain: protecting the valley from ... itself?
by Gary Carra - March 24, 2005
Space Captain is the latest band to take the reins in the never-ending struggle to bring the Springfield and Northampton scenes together.
If psychedelic indie rockers Space Captain were really the superheroes their name implies, their "beat" wouldn't be that bad, really.
I mean, Aquaman has to keep tabs on the seven seas and countless lakes. Superman is stationed in Metropolis, but is commonly called out for crises the world over.
In talking to guitarist/vocalist Mike Stitsinger , however, it seems that our friendly neighborhood Space Captain wouldn't have to patrol much more than short section of Interstate 91 to carry out its purpose.
"There's only about 20 miles between Springfield and Northampton," Stitsinger says, "but sometimes, it seems like these scenes are hundreds of miles apart. We'd really like to change that."
As a means of bridging both the actual and perceived gap in these locales, Stitsinger and company have been hosting a series of shows at Shakago in Springfield that features a geographically diverse assortment of acts.
And for Thursday, March 24, Space Captain has assembled its finest crew of musical comrades to date, with no less than Mark Schwaber , Lo Fine and Running With Karma rounding out the bill.
"I'll admit, it's no fun hauling our PA up three flights of stairs," Stitsinger adds, "but it's a great room with an Asian theme, a nice vibe and amazing acoustics. Throw on some of Northampton's biggest bands, like we're doing, and you certainly can't see anything else like it in the area."
The March 24 Shakago show is 18-plus and starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $4. For more info on this show, or to see about getting your band on a future bill, check out www.spacecaptain.net.
- Valley Advocate
Discography
While recording our first full-length album we are selling an EP of home demos and live tracks from the upcoming release. All the "limited" Ep's are handmade by us and feature individual covers, no two are alike. We sell these online, at shows and we randomly hand them out a special events.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Space Captain either the quietest rock band or the loudest pop band you’ve ever heard. Our live sets can change direction more times than a yo-yo on a smothers brother finger or be more linear, but always seems to span a vast spectrum. Drawing from countless consciece and subconscience influences you are certain to find a ray of hope for the rock world in Space Captain. It is dismal and dark times such as these where good bands seem to be gathering strength under the surface to combat evil forces that are at play within the music industry. Our sound cannot be pinned into one catagory they play Super catchy riff-rock, witty country-tinged ditties, and synth-pop songs that are loud and abrasive. Space Captains’ sound, while quite different from most modern mainstream rock, can easily be digested by listeners who have no idea of music beyond the reaches of the comercial FM dial. We hear bits of Pavement, Television, Sabbath, Dead Milkmen, Meat Puppets,The Cars along with all the standard Influences: Beatles; Bowie; Pink Floyd, ect. We try to take a bit of a meandering path between the most common genres of music. Space Captains music has been known to turn heads at many local and regional bars and turn a room full of strangers into true believers.
Space Captain has been independently owned and operated since its inception in late 1996. It was then that two friends Mike Stitsinger (guitar and vocals) and Justin Verville (bass & vocals) decided to invest in a four- track recorder and start recording songs.. Michael had been playing guitar since 1993 and had quite the hunch where things were headed when Justin picked up a bass and almost exclusively dieted on Paul McCartney, John Entwhisle and Primus tunes. Soon enough music was the only thing we did when we got together. Space Captains sound and identity was forged in the first recordings we did and remains unchanged today; Freewill expression using drums, bass, guitar and vocals to captivate and engage every listener who has a love for music. In 2002 our drummer unexpectedly left theband. A few months of playing shows with a drum machine and a fill-in drummer yeilded unexpected results as we were soon approached by a younger drummer whos band had just split. He had 2 drum kits, a van, and some mean chops. Space Captains newest member Mark Ottani has become a percussive chameleon and has tackled our tunes with style and grace. In no time we had more of a drive than ever playing 3 hour pub shows and redefining indie promotional antics and getting our music out there every chance we get.
Always looking to find a new favorite new venue the band is looking to play a wave of local & regional shows before kicking off a major regional promotional campaign in support of their new record in late 2005. We have over ninety minutes of original rock and we have a few covers up our sleeve. If you are booking far in advance we will be able to accommodate your venue with a full 2-3 hours of music by ourselves or we could bring other great bands to fill up the night. We are also looking to open for well established local and national acts.
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