| TONY SLY + JOEY CAPE |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Tuesday, 01 June 2010 08:21 |
 Anyone who has even the slightest appreciation for the late-nineties, early 2000’s punk/skate/surf scene, should recognize the names TONY SLY and JOEY CAPE. Between them, these two men have released over twenty full length albums in bands such as Lagwagon, No Use For A Name and Bad Astronaut. Now, Sly and Cape are taking on a new musical genre - impressing old and new fans alike, with their acoustic endeavours. Playing in New Zealand this week with a show in Wellington on Wednesday June 2nd, and Auckland on Thursday June 3rd, Coup De Main got a small insight into the workings of these talented minds prior to their “punk rock show[s] with less movement”. Full Name? Tony Sly. Age you wish you were? This age. Favourite movie? 'Goodfellas'. Best advice? Don’t play in the street. Song you've written which holds the most personal meaning? 'International You Day'. Song you didn't write that you wish you did? Almost any 'Beatles song. Thing you are most looking forward to seeing/doing/eating in NZ? Playing shows. Tony Sly has been in the music business since 1988, and throughout this time has been the frontman, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, for iconic Californian punk band No Use For A Name. While NUFAN released an album as short a time ago as 2008, Sly has abandoned his signature electric guitar and surf punk attitude, instead taking up arms with an acoustic guitar and microphone, to produce '12 Song Program'. When asked what inspired him to switch up from the fast paced fury of NUFAN and take a softer approach, Sly replied: “It was a long time coming. There was a break for No Use that was about four months long on our last record, and in that time I wrote and demoed all the songs… it was just so easy and obvious.” While the musical switch-up may have been obvious, Sly points out that live performance can still bring on stress, despite the fact that he has rocked stages for over two decades. “It’s stressful playing in front of people. I still get stage fright and all that, but there are nights when everything clicks and I feel like I am re-writing the songs in my head. That’s a good feeling.” Stress, yes. But surely Sly must still enjoy the touring aspect of his musical career? “[I still get the] same thrill, I just have more people to miss and more people that miss me. It’s hard on [my] kids too, because they don’t yet understand the whole concept of time. They don’t know how long you’ll be gone for. [Music] is always a job, but in this rare case I happen to like my job.” Full name? Randal Joseph Cape. Age you wish you were? 22 Favourite movie? 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'. Best advice? Co-exist. Song you've written which holds the most personal meaning? Almost all of them tie. Honestly. Song you wish you wrote? 'Eleanor Rigby'. Thing you are most looking forward to seeing/doing/eating in NZ? I'm not really into caves and heights, so activity-wise; hiking, surfing, snowboarding. But there's rarely time for those things. We are on the North Island, so I hope to see Rotorua when in Auckland and maybe Wanganui River area when we are in Wellington… I'll be surprised if I see anything but the bar and the venues. Ha ha. Joey Cape’s story reads very similar to that of Sly. Having been active in the music industry since 1989, Cape has helped create seven studio albums for the iconic Californian punk band Lagwagon, was the singer in Bad Astronaut, and also is the guitarist for the well known covers band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Releasing his first solo album ‘Bridge’ in 2008, this was a new side to Cape that fans had not been exposed to, so to some, the change in pace may have come as a surprise. Cape however, states: “This is nothing new for me. I have been writing and recording acoustic songs for 25 years. I've just never released anything. They were always for demo purposes. Almost every song I have ever written had an original acoustic version” - before continuing - “I may be known for the Punk I have been involved with, but my musical background precedes Punk-Rock. I'm old. 43. I have always listened to folk, country, and other types of acoustic music.” As well as the age factor, Cape also points the finger at the changing music industry, when asked why recently there has been an increase in band frontmen going it alone. “Well, I think it's difficult to sell records... and it's more and more difficult to afford the travel expenses of tour, airfare, gas, etc. - so a lot of people who love music - namely songwriters are downsizing to continue.” While the music industry and changing economy has made it increasingly difficult for touring bands, Cape also has embraced the change and released his latest album in a non-traditional manner, where the public can sign up online and receive a new track once a month over the period of a year - and after that year they will receive a hard copy. “People have generally been very positive about it. I expected it to be that way. It's easy. They can also just download a song if they like it. I put all the songs on Youtube at the same time, so people can hear them first and do a single download or subscribe, if they trust they want them all as they come. It's something I wanted to do for years with a band. It bypasses the bureaucracy and red tape. I can release music more often and keep the creative focus on one song at a time, which makes sense for better art in general I think. I love it. I think I will try to do one record a year this way for as long as I can. Why not right?” TONLY SLY and JOEY CAPE play Bar Bodega in Wellington this Wednesday, and The Thirsty Dog in Auckland on Thursday. Tickets are still available from www.undertheradar.co.nz and at a low price of $27, what better way to spend a cold winter night than chilling out with a drink, good friends, and good tunes. |
