Capaul to play Headliners March 8
Written by Mike Bauman | | mbauman@toledofreepress.comFor Ida, Mich.-based punk rockers Capaul, being a band is more than just music; it’s family.
“We all talked about things,” Capaul vocalist and bassist Ben Capaul said on his family life growing up. “We had a family night on Friday where we’d watch TV shows. All of us shared dinner together and talked about our days and stuff. When we would talk to our friends, they didn’t have that same family life.
“So when we joined this band Capaul, we wanted to fully represent not only Capaul as a family, but ourselves, and what we grew up in, and how we were raised and what we were taught. What we think is normal for families is actually very abnormal, and we wanted to represent that fully in our band.”
Featuring Ben and his brothers Nick Capaul (vocals, guitar) and Chris Capaul (vocals, drums), the band had what many would consider an abnormal upbringing and lifestyle.
The brothers grew up as part of the longtime family-owned Capaul Funeral Home in Ida, where death was just a normal part of everyday life. With an old-school Catholic mom from a large family and an affable and respected funeral director dad, the Capaul brothers developed a close-knit bond during their unique upbringing.
“This is a job, and it’s a very hard job to do and you have to have a lot of patience and respect and just faith almost to do a job like this, so I think that’s a reason why we are who we are,” said Nick, who lives in an apartment above the funeral home with Ben. “For some people that might come across as creepy until they get to know us, and then they are like, ‘Oh my gosh! These guys are crazy but cool people.’”
In addition to bonding over the typical things like sports and music, at least three of the four Capaul brothers took a liking to horror movies and punk music. While their oldest brother David primarily focused on school, Ben, Nick and Chris were a little more rambunctious, eventually joining forces from their other bands to form the horror punk outfit Spaghetti Zombies.
“Being in a small farming town and — let’s be honest, there’s not really that much of a punk scene around here — being a horror punk band in Ida, Michigan, is not something that a lot of people wanted or even understood, if you get my drift,” Nick said with a laugh.
Though Spaghetti Zombies may have raised several eyebrows amongst Ida residents, the Capaul brothers’ collective passion and talent ended up landing them a pair of gigs with one of their idols. About four years ago, after Spaghetti Zombies dissolved, the Capaul brothers decided to operate as a trio and formed Capaul. Huge fans of the Ramones and the Misfits, Capaul ended up playing gigs with the Misfits in back-to-back years.
“You get invited to a show, and [you go], ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to actually be sharing a stage with somebody that I’ve been listening to for the last 10 years,’” Chris Capaul said on playing with the Misfits. “You’ve got hundreds of people that are actually listening to you. It’s a pretty amazing feeling.”
Capaul’s debut album “Surgeon General’s Warning” was recorded in the funeral home office with friend Michael Bustos as producer. In typical Capaul fashion, everything the band did — from recording, to putting the album together to using their family crest as the main image for the group — revolved around family, friends and loved ones.
“It’s just really, really neat,” Chris said. “It’s incorporating a lot of people, so it’s not just, ‘Oh, we’re going to go to a punk show and hear about stuff we don’t know about.’ You’re coming to a show and you’re being represented.”
On Mar. 8, Capaul will headline a show that also features This Is Everything, Me vs. the Zombie Attack, A Cheer For Casual and Unlabeled at Headliners, 4500 N. Detroit Ave. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. The show starts at 8 p.m. For more information, visit innovationconcerts.com.
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