Lagwagon - Joey Cape
Words: Jo Taylor
Joey Cape of Lagwagon can never be accused of being half-hearted or lazy regarding his input into the music world. From fronting American punk rock band Lagwagon with seven studio albums, two solo albums, various collaborations with the late Tony Sly, to producing acts like The Ataris, Ridel High and Nerf Herder and creating his own record label My Records, this man always has something going on.
Recently in Australia for the Putting Music in its Place tour, Caught in the Mosh spoke to Joey Cape about how touring has changed over the years, plans for future recordings and how his daughter helped him write his solo albums.
You have been a songwriter, musician, producer, record label creator. Do you still have things you would like to try your hand at that you’ve never done before?
Um, no. That’s all I can really think of. I mean, I’ve done a little bit of scoring for film and I would like to do more of that. I found it really enjoyable. But its also really difficult to do. I know some people that do it for a living and they’re incredible. That would be pretty rewarding.
You have recorded seven studio albums with Lagwagon, two solo albums and numerous other projects including a few with Tony Sly. Which has been the most enjoyable to record and how have they differed?
Um, wow (laughs) I don’t know. That’s a tough question actually! All of them were enjoyable. It’s just so different with each of them. In a way the acoustic recording was the easiest, you know, because I usually do it at home and I have more control over the situation. It’s more simple and more pure line between the song and the words. With the band there is a lot of musicians involved, its a much longer process. But all really enjoyable for me because that’s where I like being the best, I most enjoy the studio.
Now, I hear that after this tour, you guys will hopefully be hitting the recording studio again, is that true?
Yeah, we’re planning on it. We have to get in a room. I have to write a lot of material and then get us all in a room and then it remains to be seen. I have no idea how it’ll go but I assume its going to be really good though and it will be a positive experience because its been so long since we all got in a room to write and record some songs together. Which I think we’ll enjoy again. But, you never know... It might be painstaking too (laughs). Its been a long time! It just depends on the songs at this point. Depends on what me and the band come up with. We’ve been playing together and gelling better than ever. The chemistry feels really good right now. I’m inclined to think its going to be good but we’ll see (laughs).
Will we get to hear any of the new material when your here?
I doubt it. We’re still on tour now and then we have just a little bit of time off after the tour which has been over a month long so I think when we have some time off, we’ll all go our separate ways then we’ll have one day of rehearsals before we head there. Our plan was to finish out all the tours and keep rolling with the set we’ve been doing which is honoring the first five records which is now like a box set. So I don’t think we’ll be involved in any new material ‘cause the theme is sort of retro for all of us. And it’s really fun actually! But I don’t see us getting together until after all the touring.
Recently in Australia for the Putting Music in its Place tour, Caught in the Mosh spoke to Joey Cape about how touring has changed over the years, plans for future recordings and how his daughter helped him write his solo albums.
You have been a songwriter, musician, producer, record label creator. Do you still have things you would like to try your hand at that you’ve never done before?
Um, no. That’s all I can really think of. I mean, I’ve done a little bit of scoring for film and I would like to do more of that. I found it really enjoyable. But its also really difficult to do. I know some people that do it for a living and they’re incredible. That would be pretty rewarding.
You have recorded seven studio albums with Lagwagon, two solo albums and numerous other projects including a few with Tony Sly. Which has been the most enjoyable to record and how have they differed?
Um, wow (laughs) I don’t know. That’s a tough question actually! All of them were enjoyable. It’s just so different with each of them. In a way the acoustic recording was the easiest, you know, because I usually do it at home and I have more control over the situation. It’s more simple and more pure line between the song and the words. With the band there is a lot of musicians involved, its a much longer process. But all really enjoyable for me because that’s where I like being the best, I most enjoy the studio.
Now, I hear that after this tour, you guys will hopefully be hitting the recording studio again, is that true?
Yeah, we’re planning on it. We have to get in a room. I have to write a lot of material and then get us all in a room and then it remains to be seen. I have no idea how it’ll go but I assume its going to be really good though and it will be a positive experience because its been so long since we all got in a room to write and record some songs together. Which I think we’ll enjoy again. But, you never know... It might be painstaking too (laughs). Its been a long time! It just depends on the songs at this point. Depends on what me and the band come up with. We’ve been playing together and gelling better than ever. The chemistry feels really good right now. I’m inclined to think its going to be good but we’ll see (laughs).
Will we get to hear any of the new material when your here?
I doubt it. We’re still on tour now and then we have just a little bit of time off after the tour which has been over a month long so I think when we have some time off, we’ll all go our separate ways then we’ll have one day of rehearsals before we head there. Our plan was to finish out all the tours and keep rolling with the set we’ve been doing which is honoring the first five records which is now like a box set. So I don’t think we’ll be involved in any new material ‘cause the theme is sort of retro for all of us. And it’s really fun actually! But I don’t see us getting together until after all the touring.
You guys have been around since 1990, how has touring changed since you first began? I imagine there must have been some pretty wild days in the early years.
Well, It was different in the early days. The most obvious difference is that we didn’t have the internet or cell phones (laughs). If you broke down somewhere, you had to leave the van where you were and walk to a pay phone then arrange to fix the vehicle. You’d miss shows every once in a while because of it. And you’d hope that they’d figure it out because you didn’t show up (laughs). I like that, I think in a way it was more romantic. And there was a different way of networking of course. Back then we used this publication called Book Your Own Fucking Life and it was really cool. They would publish one a year and it was basically an extension of word on the street. You know, contacts for shows and clubs etc. We booked that way in the beginning. That’s vastly different to what happens now. Throughout the years that evolved a lot.
But, having said all of that, I’ll say this: In a way, nothing has changed at all. We play shows, people rock up, it’s a positive vibe and in that way it’s always been the same, it’s been great. Though we’ve had a roller-coaster ride with this band. It’s fine now. The longer you’re together the more you understand each other and the more patience you develop. Sometimes there’s deeper resentment towards each other and become resentful over some things but that passes and gets stronger. I can honestly say, the guys in our band, we’ve been together for so long now, I don’t know what life would be like without them.
You have a daughter, Violet. She must be your toughest critic. Does she like your music?
She was a real big fan of the acoustic music that I make, for a few short years. But not anymore. She’s now got to the age that she can find music and download music. I mean she’s only eight but she knows how to spend my money, let me put it that way (laughs). She really got into dance music and electronic stuff. She wants to sing that all the time. The punk thing? I almost kinda got her into The Ramones and that was cool for a little while. I always promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those parents that’s like “Yeah, my kid only listens to punk rock”. I mean, I wish she listened to more of the music that I love so much, but its completely all right that she doesn’t. Fortunately, when I was a kid, the music that was being played in the house was my parents music and that later became my favourite music. Simon & Garfunkel and Credence Clearwater Revival and all that stuff and I love all of it now as a result.
But now, the music that gets played in our house is my daughter's music (laughs). And I actually said to my wife “you know, we’re going to lose here. We don’t even have a chance!” It’s good that we’re not forcing her to like anything and leaving it open for her. We expose her to things whenever we can. But with the music side of it, she’s been exposed to stuff that’s fun and when she’s old enough she’ll get the cooler stuff. She understands what auto-tune is and that’s a great thing. I was able to explain it at one point, when she was listening to some crazy auto-tune crap. I said to her “You know, they're not really singing that. It's not really what’s coming out of their bodies” and I explained it to her and then took her downstairs and showed her [auto-tune] on her own voice and she loved it. And now it’s great coz we’ll be listening to a song and she’ll be like “Is this one auto-tuned?” So she’ll recognise that “yeah, that’s too much auto-tune, I don’t really like that”. So we're winning little battles.
Well, It was different in the early days. The most obvious difference is that we didn’t have the internet or cell phones (laughs). If you broke down somewhere, you had to leave the van where you were and walk to a pay phone then arrange to fix the vehicle. You’d miss shows every once in a while because of it. And you’d hope that they’d figure it out because you didn’t show up (laughs). I like that, I think in a way it was more romantic. And there was a different way of networking of course. Back then we used this publication called Book Your Own Fucking Life and it was really cool. They would publish one a year and it was basically an extension of word on the street. You know, contacts for shows and clubs etc. We booked that way in the beginning. That’s vastly different to what happens now. Throughout the years that evolved a lot.
But, having said all of that, I’ll say this: In a way, nothing has changed at all. We play shows, people rock up, it’s a positive vibe and in that way it’s always been the same, it’s been great. Though we’ve had a roller-coaster ride with this band. It’s fine now. The longer you’re together the more you understand each other and the more patience you develop. Sometimes there’s deeper resentment towards each other and become resentful over some things but that passes and gets stronger. I can honestly say, the guys in our band, we’ve been together for so long now, I don’t know what life would be like without them.
You have a daughter, Violet. She must be your toughest critic. Does she like your music?
She was a real big fan of the acoustic music that I make, for a few short years. But not anymore. She’s now got to the age that she can find music and download music. I mean she’s only eight but she knows how to spend my money, let me put it that way (laughs). She really got into dance music and electronic stuff. She wants to sing that all the time. The punk thing? I almost kinda got her into The Ramones and that was cool for a little while. I always promised myself I wouldn’t be one of those parents that’s like “Yeah, my kid only listens to punk rock”. I mean, I wish she listened to more of the music that I love so much, but its completely all right that she doesn’t. Fortunately, when I was a kid, the music that was being played in the house was my parents music and that later became my favourite music. Simon & Garfunkel and Credence Clearwater Revival and all that stuff and I love all of it now as a result.
But now, the music that gets played in our house is my daughter's music (laughs). And I actually said to my wife “you know, we’re going to lose here. We don’t even have a chance!” It’s good that we’re not forcing her to like anything and leaving it open for her. We expose her to things whenever we can. But with the music side of it, she’s been exposed to stuff that’s fun and when she’s old enough she’ll get the cooler stuff. She understands what auto-tune is and that’s a great thing. I was able to explain it at one point, when she was listening to some crazy auto-tune crap. I said to her “You know, they're not really singing that. It's not really what’s coming out of their bodies” and I explained it to her and then took her downstairs and showed her [auto-tune] on her own voice and she loved it. And now it’s great coz we’ll be listening to a song and she’ll be like “Is this one auto-tuned?” So she’ll recognise that “yeah, that’s too much auto-tune, I don’t really like that”. So we're winning little battles.
Did the birth of your daughter influence your musical direction?
Oh yeah, absolutely. When I was first recording the acoustic stuff, I think she was about four-years-old or maybe three, when I first started doing my own record Bridge. When I did that, she influenced everything in my life as any child does, it changes who you are and all those things. But on top of it, weird things started happening. LIke i’d be working on a song and she would sing with me ‘cause she was completely uninhabited and this young pure thing. Every once in a while the melody that she was singing would change the direction, she would do something and I’d be like “ohh that’s cool” so she’d kinda help me write it. It’s the coolest thing. Of course, she’s not always in key or pitch. But yeah, it’s an interesting thing. There are a few songs on the first solo album and also a couple of the second where she had an affect on the melody.
Well I hope she is getting royalties for this then...
(laughs) She’s gets all of them when you think about it! We pretty much eat, what she wants to eat and I’m always on tour so shelter and everything else is pretty much hers.
Someone once said "write what you would want to perform over and over". With that in mind, which song do you love to perform the most?
I don’t have a love for performing any of my songs over and over, and even covers, we’ve played them for so long that they almost feel like ours. Every now and then there will be a song that feels better than others to perform but for the most part, I’m happy to do them all, and I never completely love any of my own. You know, when you write the songs, you spend a lot of time with them before you get to perform them and honestly, by then, you’re a little sick of them.
You have been an inspiration for many bands. Who have been some of the musicians/bands/people that have inspired you along your path, musically?
Oh boy, it’s the longest list ever! It’s all the obvious seminal bands that influenced me. The Ramones, The Twelve Fingers, Dead Kennedy’s and all the LA punk rock stuff. The Beatles - I’m a huge Beatles fan. And Simon & Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, lots of rock music, lots of pop music. Neil Diamond, ABBA and a lot of modern artists like Nirvana. They had a huge affect on me. And The Silversun Pickups and Elliott Smith had a huge affect on me.
ELLIOTT SMITH! yes!
There are so few people who have been able to do, what he did, lyrically. And his melodies. He was unbelievable. Such a tragic loss that one…
Oh yeah, absolutely. When I was first recording the acoustic stuff, I think she was about four-years-old or maybe three, when I first started doing my own record Bridge. When I did that, she influenced everything in my life as any child does, it changes who you are and all those things. But on top of it, weird things started happening. LIke i’d be working on a song and she would sing with me ‘cause she was completely uninhabited and this young pure thing. Every once in a while the melody that she was singing would change the direction, she would do something and I’d be like “ohh that’s cool” so she’d kinda help me write it. It’s the coolest thing. Of course, she’s not always in key or pitch. But yeah, it’s an interesting thing. There are a few songs on the first solo album and also a couple of the second where she had an affect on the melody.
Well I hope she is getting royalties for this then...
(laughs) She’s gets all of them when you think about it! We pretty much eat, what she wants to eat and I’m always on tour so shelter and everything else is pretty much hers.
Someone once said "write what you would want to perform over and over". With that in mind, which song do you love to perform the most?
I don’t have a love for performing any of my songs over and over, and even covers, we’ve played them for so long that they almost feel like ours. Every now and then there will be a song that feels better than others to perform but for the most part, I’m happy to do them all, and I never completely love any of my own. You know, when you write the songs, you spend a lot of time with them before you get to perform them and honestly, by then, you’re a little sick of them.
You have been an inspiration for many bands. Who have been some of the musicians/bands/people that have inspired you along your path, musically?
Oh boy, it’s the longest list ever! It’s all the obvious seminal bands that influenced me. The Ramones, The Twelve Fingers, Dead Kennedy’s and all the LA punk rock stuff. The Beatles - I’m a huge Beatles fan. And Simon & Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, lots of rock music, lots of pop music. Neil Diamond, ABBA and a lot of modern artists like Nirvana. They had a huge affect on me. And The Silversun Pickups and Elliott Smith had a huge affect on me.
ELLIOTT SMITH! yes!
There are so few people who have been able to do, what he did, lyrically. And his melodies. He was unbelievable. Such a tragic loss that one…