Music
Press
Captain Coconut - seven New York teenagers with a serious affinity for New Orleans music.
- Keith Spera
(Music Writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune)
- New Orleans Times-Picayune's Lagniappe
WSN Battle of the Bands 2008
Captain Coconut:
Given that the majority of New York City college bands makes music in two categories - hipster-electronica or heartfelt-acoustic-indieness - Captain Cocount is a breath of fresh air.
Composed of students from NYU, SUNY-Purchase, Manhattan School of Music and Wesleyan University, Captain Coconut is clever, gleeful, unadulterated funk. Their groove begins with the opening chords of the title track off their EP "Shoop!" and rides all the way through. Their music transports the listeners to some of music's most compelling time periods: the 1920's jazz era, early '90s neo-soul and the experimental funk of the '70s.
Their songs are almost entirely instrumental, which is a blessing, for Captain Coconut's band members are truly skilled at what they do. Their skill can be heard through handcrafted melodies on songs like "Black Sara" or through vivid improvisation on songs like "Ampersand."
Perhaps their mastery comes from their experience. In the four years since the band's formation, they've played a host of New York City area gigs at venues like CBGB, The Knitting Factory and Canal Room, where they already won a battle of the bands competition.
As long as there's a demand for funky music, Captain Coconut will keep making their dynamic and impressive sounds.
- Morenkie Fajana, Washingon Square News - Morenkie Fajana
Captain Coconut - Shoop!
by John Swenson
Captain Coconut has built a strong following out of its New York City base at the Knitting Factory, but the band passed its funk final exam in showcase gigs at New Orleans clubs during Jazz Fest the past two years. Shoop! lives up to the promise of the live shows with a terse, snappy neo-funk sound that particularly showcases the instrumental prowess of the horn section (check out Danny Riviera’s monster break during the brass meltdown on “Jubilant Crackhead Strut”).
The two most impressive things about the album are the exceptionally good songwriting, especially guitarist Dan Knobler’s numbers, and the airtight, stop-and-go-on-a-dime arrangements. For a young band, these kids really play together as a unit. My only criticism of the album is that Greg Evans’ drumming doesn’t always make its way through the mix, reminding me that one of the biggest mistakes young bands make is not according the studio as much importance as the effects box.
http://offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_2714.shtml - OffBeat Magazine
Discography
Everybody's Business - a new record from Captain Coconut.
Produced by guitarist/bandleader Daniel Knobler, mixed by Alan Evans (of Soulive)
Fresh funk with old-school sensibilities, Captain Coconut's second self-produced record offers tight, crisp, cosmopolitan grooves, remarkable musicianship, and 11 original tracks of feel-good music - good for your body, good for your soul.
From the vintage funk of the opening cut "166 & 9th" to the otherworldly sounds of "Oscar“, the slow jam of the title track to the Eddie Harris-style fusion of "Atop an Underground“, Everybody's Business delivers tight, sophisticated tunes with inventive arrangements and a deep groove. The band also collaborates with two guest vocalists, Jon Seale and Eva Imber, showcasing its finesse in a pop context. Everybody's Business harnesses the power of the band's contagiously funky live show and builds upon it with studio savvy and supreme musicianship.
Available at http://www.cdbaby.com/CaptainCoconut2
Everybody's Business
1. 166 & 9th*
2. Double Vision
3. Stone Don't Beat (featuring Jon Seale)
4. Atop an Underground
5. Direct Drive
6. Love Me Or Not (featuring Eva Imber)
7. Everybody's Business*
8. Rib Shack
9. Oscar
10. Bubble Wrap
11. Ampersand (live)
*available on our SonicBids Media Player
Physical CD or mp3 downloads available at:
http://www.cdbaby.com/CaptainCoconut2
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Shoop! - The Debut CD from Captain Coconut
John Swenson, consulting editor of New Orleans' offBeat magazine said of Captain Coconut's debut, "Shoop! lives up to the promise of the live shows with a terse, snappy neo-funk sound that particularly showcases the instrumental prowess of the horn section. The two most impressive things about the album are the exceptionally good songwriting, especially guitarist Dan Knobler's numbers, and the airtight, stop-and-go-on-a-dime arrangements."
Tracks from Shoop! have been played on WBAR (Barnard College), WESU (Wesleyan University), WOBN (Otterbein College) and others.
Shoop! is available as CD or Mp3 Download at http://www.cdbaby.com/CaptainCoconut
or on iTunes (search Captain Coconut)
Photos
Bio
After five years on the New York City scene, Captain Coconut has made a name for itself by playing spectacular music with great enthusiasm. The seven-piece band has performed at many of New York's legendary venues, including the late CBGB & Knitting Factory, The Bitter End, and two gigs at Gracie Mansion for Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The band has won several competitions, including Going.com's NYC Band Showcase, NYU's Battle of The Bands 2008, Bambu Rolling Paper's Band of the Month (June '08), and was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2007 Musicians & Emerging Artists NY Festival. They've played numerous colleges, including Wesleyan, Vassar, and New York University, and have performed twice in New Orleans during JazzFest '06 & '07, opening for Bill Summers and Marc Stone.
The band is unsigned and very busy. All members are in college at a variety of locations; Dan Knobler and Matt Porter attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (Dan at the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music and Matt in the film program), drummer Mike Mitchell and sax-men Matt Chiasson and Danny Rivera attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, trumpeter Jon Saraga is at the Jazz Studies program at SUNY Purchase, and bassist Zack Rosen studies at Wesleyan University.
The Captain Coconut Funk Orchestra, a 12-piece funk big band, debuted in November of 2007 at the Bowery Poetry Club and has played over a half dozen shows since. The Funk Orchestra features is complete with eight horns (4 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones) plus guitar, bass, drums & keys. The band often features guest vocalists including the fabulous Emily Elbert, Jon Seale & Mike Sherman. Guitarist Dan Knobler has booked and produced evenings at the Bowery Poetry Club showcasing not only the Captain Coconut & the Funk Orchestra but other great bands including The Northern, The Middle Eight, Rail, Say Hello To Symphony, and The Powder Kegs. The Captain Coconut Funk Orchestra recorded several tracks in Spring 2009 with an advanced recording engineering class at NYU led by 25-time Grammy-nominated engineer Jim Anderson.
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