Capitol Years
Encyclopedia
The Capitol Years is an indie rock
band founded by principal songwriter, Shai Halperin, (aka Shai, Son of Eli). Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Halperin has released 2 albums of solo work as "The Capitol Years" as well as 2 albums and an EP with a full band. 2010 saw a return to solo recording under the name "Sweet Lights" http://www.sweetlights.bandcamp.com
who transferred the project to a 1/2-inch analog tape 8-track machine at a home studio in Northampton, MA. Monahan, a former member/producer of The Pernice Brothers
and future producer of records by Devendra Banhart
, Vetiver
, and others, helped Halperin flesh out the initially sparse tracks. The end result fell somewhere between the bedroom rock of Guided By Voices
, the hushed melodies of George Harrison
, and the lo-fi electro weirdness of Beck
. The album also included a cover of The Velvet Underground
's "All Tomorrow's Parties".
Originally distributed on cd-r under the "Shai, Son of Eli" moniker, Meet Yr Acres found a proper home with San Francisco's Full Frame Records and was officially released under the band name "The Capitol Years". It subsequently received positive marks from numerous press outlets including CMJ as well as Magnet
Magazine where it landed on the "Top 10 Hidden Treasures" list for 2001.
After recording Meet Yr Acres, Halperin recruited Dave Wayne Daniels on bass, Kyle Lloyd on drums, and after a year as a three piece, Jeff Van Newkirk on guitar and vocal harmonies. In 2005 the band welcomed Adam Granduciel on guitar after he briefly filled in on bass for Wayne Daniels during a Spring 2005 tour of the US. Granduciel has since gone on to form The War on Drugs (band)
. Other musicians known to have played one or more shows as a member of the band include Peter Rinko, songwriter and singer/guitarist for Enemy Love and Josh Newman.
Following the debut, The Capitol Years released the acoustic Pussyfootin and the full-band EP, Jewelry Store. National and local press attention increased and the band was named "Best of Philly" in 2003.
The Capitol Years have the distinction of opening the first reunion show on April 13, 2004 for The Pixies, a band who had not played together for 12 years.
The Capitol Years have toured the US multiple times as well as the UK, Spain, and Israel. Since 2001 the band has played with many notable contemporaries including The Walkmen
, Daniel Johnston
, The Kills
, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
, Dr. Dog
, The Spinto Band
, The Frogs
, Lilys
, Ted Leo
, and Beachwood Sparks
, as well as comedian David Cross
.
In 2005, the band released Let Them Drink in the US and Spain.
On September 12, 2006, they released Dance Away The Terror on Park the Van
Records which is also home to Dr. Dog
and The High Strung
. Pitchfork Media
described the album as "the band's best full length yet" and, once more, Magnet Magazine
credited the band for delivering one of its Top 20 Albums Of The Year.
In early 2007, Halperin recorded a version of Daniel Johnston
's True Love Will Find You In The End. The song soon became a staple of the band's live set and appears in an online video featuring Shai, Son of Eli's cat, Yuri.
On February 22, 2008, the band supported and played as backing band for Daniel Johnston
at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia. With The Capitol Years joining him on stage, Johnston performed the Beatles' I'm So Tired
as well as John Lennon
's Isolation
for the first time in addition to many of his own classics. 4 months later, the band resumed backing band duties with Johnston on a brief tour of the Northeast. The tour-mates added The Beatles' Help
to the live repertoire. Backstage, Johnston and The Capitol Years were filmed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9T5peAlunc in a piano based sing-a-long of more Beatles classics including A Day in the Life
, For No One
, Cry Baby Cry
, and Paul McCartney
's Too Many People
.
In November 2008, the song "Revolutions" was voted "Single of the Week" on a popular BBC Radio 2
program airing in the UK.
Growing interest in the UK led to the release of a second single, "You Can Stay There", a tour of the country, and a performance at the Glastonbury Festival
in June 2009. The tour also included a visit to the BBC
and a performance/interview with one time Old Grey Whistle Test
host Bob Harris (radio)
.
In October 2009, The Capitol Years rejoined Daniel Johnston
for a tour of the east coast and Canada.
In 2010, Halperin self-released a one-man-band full length album under the name, Sweet Lights. http://www.sweetlights.bandcamp.com
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band founded by principal songwriter, Shai Halperin, (aka Shai, Son of Eli). Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Halperin has released 2 albums of solo work as "The Capitol Years" as well as 2 albums and an EP with a full band. 2010 saw a return to solo recording under the name "Sweet Lights" http://www.sweetlights.bandcamp.com
History
The Capitol Years debuted in July, 2000 with a full-length album entitled Meet Yr Acres. Produced in Halperin's South Street studio apartment, Meet Yr Acres began as a series of self-engineered home recordings. With most vocals, guitars, and percussion captured on a digital 4-track, Halperin soon connected with producer Thom MonahanThom Monahan
Thom Monahan is a producer/engineer and musician who is best known for his work with the bands Pernice Brothers and Vetiver. He has also produced albums by Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks, and Lavender Diamond....
who transferred the project to a 1/2-inch analog tape 8-track machine at a home studio in Northampton, MA. Monahan, a former member/producer of The Pernice Brothers
The Pernice Brothers
Pernice Brothers are an indie rock band. Formed by Joe Pernice in 1996 after the breakup of his old band, the Scud Mountain Boys, and including Joe's brother Bob Pernice , the band recorded their first album, Overcome by Happiness, for Sub Pop in 1998...
and future producer of records by Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
, Vetiver
Vetiver
Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver , is a perennial grass of the Poaceae family, native to India. In western and northern India, it is popularly known as khus. Vetiver can grow up to 1.5 metres high and form clumps as wide. The stems are tall and the leaves are long, thin, and...
, and others, helped Halperin flesh out the initially sparse tracks. The end result fell somewhere between the bedroom rock of Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, the hushed melodies of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, and the lo-fi electro weirdness of Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
. The album also included a cover of The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
's "All Tomorrow's Parties".
Originally distributed on cd-r under the "Shai, Son of Eli" moniker, Meet Yr Acres found a proper home with San Francisco's Full Frame Records and was officially released under the band name "The Capitol Years". It subsequently received positive marks from numerous press outlets including CMJ as well as Magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
Magazine where it landed on the "Top 10 Hidden Treasures" list for 2001.
After recording Meet Yr Acres, Halperin recruited Dave Wayne Daniels on bass, Kyle Lloyd on drums, and after a year as a three piece, Jeff Van Newkirk on guitar and vocal harmonies. In 2005 the band welcomed Adam Granduciel on guitar after he briefly filled in on bass for Wayne Daniels during a Spring 2005 tour of the US. Granduciel has since gone on to form The War on Drugs (band)
The War on Drugs (band)
-History:Band member Adam Granduciel moved from Oakland, California to Philadelphia in 2003, where he met Kurt Vile and began playing music with him. They began playing as The War on Drugs in 2005, and self-released a demo EP...
. Other musicians known to have played one or more shows as a member of the band include Peter Rinko, songwriter and singer/guitarist for Enemy Love and Josh Newman.
Following the debut, The Capitol Years released the acoustic Pussyfootin and the full-band EP, Jewelry Store. National and local press attention increased and the band was named "Best of Philly" in 2003.
The Capitol Years have the distinction of opening the first reunion show on April 13, 2004 for The Pixies, a band who had not played together for 12 years.
The Capitol Years have toured the US multiple times as well as the UK, Spain, and Israel. Since 2001 the band has played with many notable contemporaries including The Walkmen
The Walkmen
The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon , Walter Martin , and Matt Barrick —and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer and Hamilton Leithauser . All but Bauer...
, Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, The Kills
The Kills
The Kills is a rock band formed by American singer Alison Mosshart and British guitarist Jamie Hince . Their first three albums, Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, and Midnight Boom, have garnered much critical praise...
, The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American eclectic musical group led by Anton Newcombe, whose music spans multiple genres including psychedelia, electronica, folk music, blues, experimental music, and many others....
, Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock band from West Grove, Pennsylvania. Its lineup currently consists of Toby Leaman , Scott McMicken , Frank McElroy , Zach Miller , and Eric Slick . Lead vocal duties are shared between Leaman and McMicken, with all members contributing harmonies...
, The Spinto Band
The Spinto Band
The Spinto Band is an indie rock band from Wilmington, Delaware. They are currently signed to Park the Van Records.-Biography:The Spinto Band was originally formed as recording project by high school students in Wilmington, Delaware in the late 1990s...
, The Frogs
The Frogs (band)
The Frogs are an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion. The brothers mainly write and perform short, catchy pop songs, but they are also known for their improvised home recordings which are delivered in a comedic style, and often...
, Lilys
Lilys
Lilys are an American indie rock band formed in Washington, D.C in 1988. The only constant member is Kurt Heasley, with the line-up changing regularly...
, Ted Leo
Ted Leo
Theodore F. Leo , called "Ted," as a short form of "Theodore," is an American punk rock/indie rock songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, though he is most known for his singing and guitar playing...
, and Beachwood Sparks
Beachwood Sparks
Beachwood Sparks are an American alternative country band from Los Angeles. A Daily Telegraph article on America's underground psychedelic pop scene described Beachwood Sparks as "country through a kaleidoscope".-Biography:...
, as well as comedian David Cross
David Cross
David Cross is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian perhaps best known for his work on HBO's sketch comedy series Mr...
.
In 2005, the band released Let Them Drink in the US and Spain.
On September 12, 2006, they released Dance Away The Terror on Park the Van
Park the Van
Park the Van is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based independent record label. It was established with a Dr. Dog release in 2004 by Christopher Watson. After the events of Hurricane Katrina they moved their office to Schwenksville, PA until returning to New Orleans in 2008.-Bands:*Dr...
Records which is also home to Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock band from West Grove, Pennsylvania. Its lineup currently consists of Toby Leaman , Scott McMicken , Frank McElroy , Zach Miller , and Eric Slick . Lead vocal duties are shared between Leaman and McMicken, with all members contributing harmonies...
and The High Strung
The High Strung
The High Strung are a band from Detroit, Michigan. The band comprises lead singer and guitarist Josh Malerman, bassist Chad Stocker, and drummer Derek Berk. Malerman and Berk attended Michigan State University in the late 1990s before moving to New York City...
. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
described the album as "the band's best full length yet" and, once more, Magnet Magazine
Magnet (magazine)
Magnet is a music magazine which generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands.-History:The magazine is published four times a year, and is independently owned and edited by Eric T. Miller. Music magazines with a similar focus in the 1990s era included Option,...
credited the band for delivering one of its Top 20 Albums Of The Year.
In early 2007, Halperin recorded a version of Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
's True Love Will Find You In The End. The song soon became a staple of the band's live set and appears in an online video featuring Shai, Son of Eli's cat, Yuri.
On February 22, 2008, the band supported and played as backing band for Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia. With The Capitol Years joining him on stage, Johnston performed the Beatles' I'm So Tired
I'm So Tired
-External links:*...
as well as John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's Isolation
Isolation (John Lennon song)
"Isolation" is a 1970 song appearing on John Lennon's first official solo album release, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Personnel:The musicians who performed on the original recording were as follows:*John Lennon – vocals, piano, organ...
for the first time in addition to many of his own classics. 4 months later, the band resumed backing band duties with Johnston on a brief tour of the Northeast. The tour-mates added The Beatles' Help
Help! (song)
"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
to the live repertoire. Backstage, Johnston and The Capitol Years were filmed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9T5peAlunc in a piano based sing-a-long of more Beatles classics including A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" is a song by The Beatles, the final track on the group's 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the song comprises distinct segments written independently by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, with orchestral additions...
, For No One
For No One
"For No One" is a song written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' seventh album, Revolver. A baroque pop song about the end of a relationship, it was one of McCartney's most mature and poignant works upon its release...
, Cry Baby Cry
Cry Baby Cry
"Cry Baby Cry" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon, from their 1968 album The Beatles.-Composition:Demos of the song indicate that Lennon wrote the song in late 1967...
, and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's Too Many People
Too Many People
"Too Many People" is a song by Paul McCartney from his 1971 album Ram as well as the B-side of the "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" single.The song is an instance of "musical sniping" among the four Beatles after the band broke up, the target in this case presumed to be McCartney's former bandmate and...
.
In November 2008, the song "Revolutions" was voted "Single of the Week" on a popular BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
program airing in the UK.
Growing interest in the UK led to the release of a second single, "You Can Stay There", a tour of the country, and a performance at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in June 2009. The tour also included a visit to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and a performance/interview with one time Old Grey Whistle Test
Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers...
host Bob Harris (radio)
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
.
In October 2009, The Capitol Years rejoined Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
for a tour of the east coast and Canada.
In 2010, Halperin self-released a one-man-band full length album under the name, Sweet Lights. http://www.sweetlights.bandcamp.com
Discography
- 2001 - Meet Yr Acres
- 2003 - Pussyfootin
- 2003 - Jewelry StoreJewelry storeA jewelry store or jewelry shop is a retail business specializing in selling jewelry. There are also jewelry stores that primarily sell a specific type of jewelry, including watch stores....
- 2004 - Ramona/Loretta Split 7 inch
- 2005 - Let Them Drink
- 2006 - Dance Away the Terror
- 2010 - Sweet Lights - Sweet Lights