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Cap'n Jazz

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emo, indie, indie rock, post-punk, post-hardcoresee all

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Chicago, United States (1989 – 1995)

Short-lived but highly influential, Cap’n Jazz helped transform emo from a deeply underground punk subgenre into a more widely accepted subset of indie rock. Not terribly popular or well-known outside of the Midwest, Cap’n Jazz’s main contribution was stylistic. They helped shift midwest-emo’s always-elusive musical focus from post-hardcore prog-punk to an arty but more accessible punk-pop.



Their discography was as scant as it was rare, but that very obscurity helped build their underground legend through word of mouth, until a double-CD retrospective was finally issued several years after their breakup. By that time, most of the members had moved on to other, better-known midwest-emo bands, most notably Joan of Arc and the highly successful Promise Ring , which helped spread Cap’n Jazz’s influence far beyond their original audience.

The first incarnation of Cap’n Jazz was formed in Chicago circa 1989, when brothers Tim Kinsella (guitar, vocals) and Mike Kinsella (drums) teamed up with bassist Sam Zurick and guitarist Victor Villareal ; all were still in school at the time. The band went through several name changes and added guitarist Davey von Bohlen , but took a few years to get serious about pursuing music. Eventually, they earned a cult following around Chicago and the Midwest, honing a sound that was at once complicated and sloppily enthusiastic.
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