Cap'n Jazz

• Genre: Emo/Hardcore
• Hometown: Chicago

About

These emo pioneers from Chicago grew their dynamic sound from edgy punk-pop into a distinctly textured, almost spastic style all their own. Guitars explode into rousing anthems, built layer by layer, carefully weaving subtle hooks into their loud, bursting riffs. Operating at its own pace, the rhythm section first lays low, then subtly creeps into the foreground with dense bass lines and crashing cymbals working double time to help bring the vocals forward (as if they needed help). Tim Kinsella's raspy, alluring, always off-key vocals stand the Cap'n Jazz sound on its head and give them their unique identity. Cap'n Jazz really created the foundation on which Chicago emo was built. After the band's demise, various members went to form Joan of Arc and the Promise Ring, two bands who continue to push the emo envelope.

- Mark Murrmann