Javier Weyler
Encyclopedia
Javier Andrés Weyler is the drummer
for the Welsh
based rock
group Stereophonics
. Despite being born in Argentina
, Weyler lived most of his life in Caracas
, Venezuela
, and now resides in London
, England
. He was previously drummer in the Venezuelan band Claroscuro for over nine years, until he left the country in 2001 to study audio engineering
in London. In 2008 he released his first solo album, Lagrima, under the pseudonym
of Capitan Melao.
, with the music video for their single "Mantarraya". In October 2001 he left the band to move to London
to study audio engineering
at the SAE Institute
. He was consequently replaced by Javier del Castillo on drums, with Claroscuro officially breaking up not long after in 2002 anyway. He then went on to work in several recording studio
s as an audio engineer/session drummer.
(You Gotta Go There to Come Back
) for which he played percussion and programmed drums. Weyler later met the band again when they were arrested at a party in Buenos Aires, aiding their release with his ability to speak Spanish
. In April 2004 Javier assisted in recording demos for Stereophonics' next studio album, later on that year Kelly Jones
and Richard Jones
wrote to Javier inviting him to drum permanently within the band. Javier accepted the offer and met up with the rest of the band to make Stereophonics' fifth studio album Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
. He describes learning the band's back catalogue ready for touring as "More challenging than difficult" and his favourite songs from the band's first four albums are "Local Boy In The Photograph
", "The Bartender And The Thief
" and "Mr Writer".
Javier recorded a solo album, Lagrima (meaning 'Tear'), under the persona of Capitan Melao, which was released on April 2, 2007. The project includes contributions from Phil Manzanera
of Roxy Music
and Natalia Lafourcade
, with Weyler describing it as having "dreamy and poetic" lyrics and Latin rhythms. Weyler's alter-ego translates as 'Capitan' being the Spanish
for 'Captain' and 'Melao' Latin American slang for "swing, rhythm or soul".
Brady - 14x6½" block snare.
Zildjian cymbals - 15" A rock hi-hats, 19" K Medium crash, 20" A Medium crash (x2), 22" A Medium ride & 20" 1970's pang.
Slingerland hardware.
Remo heads.
Vater 5A sticks.
DW 9000 pedal.
During the world tour to promote the release of Stereophonics' 6th album Pull the Pin
Javier switched from Slingerland to using Ludwig Custom Maple drums out on the road (though he still uses his Slingerland in the studio). He is using a 22x14 bass drum, 14x10 tom, 16x16 and 18x16 floor toms and a 14x61/2 Brady Jarrah block snare with all Ludwig hardware apart from a DW 9000 kick pedal and hi-hat stand. His cymbals are all Zildjian, with a 15" K/A hat mix, 22" K custom crash ride (x2), 22" K custom ride and a prototype 21" A custom crash ride. He also uses Remo drumheads and Zildjian Super 5B sticks.
, held on 26 April 2009 and collected over £5,000 in support of Cancer Research UK
. In May 2010 he married his fiancee Laura.
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
for the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
based rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group Stereophonics
Stereophonics
The Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
. Despite being born in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Weyler lived most of his life in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and now resides in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was previously drummer in the Venezuelan band Claroscuro for over nine years, until he left the country in 2001 to study audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
in London. In 2008 he released his first solo album, Lagrima, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Capitan Melao.
1992-2004: Claroscuro and audio engineering
Weyler was given his first drum kit at the age of thirteen by his father's band drummer, and was taught how to play them by Venezuelan drummer Jose Mato. In January 1992 he set up his first band, Claroscuro, consisting of himself on drums, Carlos Eduardo Reyes on lead guitar and vocals, and Miguel Delgado on bass guitar. In February of the same year they played their first gig in a venue named 'Dark Hole' in Caracas. At seventeen he was already playing professionally in Venezuela and neighbouring countries with Claroscuro, releasing an EP and two albums with them. In March 1997 they became the first Venezuelan band to be in regular rotation on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, with the music video for their single "Mantarraya". In October 2001 he left the band to move to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
at the SAE Institute
SAE Institute
The SAE Institute is a private college founded in 1976 by Sound Engineer, Record Producer and businessman Tom Misner. The first school was opened 1977 in Sydney,...
. He was consequently replaced by Javier del Castillo on drums, with Claroscuro officially breaking up not long after in 2002 anyway. He then went on to work in several recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
s as an audio engineer/session drummer.
2004-Present: Stereophonics and Capitan Melao
It was at one recording studio, where Javier was working as an Audio Engineer in 2003, that he met Stereophonics whilst they were recording their fourth studio albumStudio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
(You Gotta Go There to Come Back
You Gotta Go There to Come Back
You Gotta Go There to Come Back is Stereophonics' fourth album, released on V2 in 2003. It became their third consecutive album to top the UK chart selling 101,946 copies in its first week. It was the final Stereophonics album with long-time original drummer Stuart Cable.The album shows a newly...
) for which he played percussion and programmed drums. Weyler later met the band again when they were arrested at a party in Buenos Aires, aiding their release with his ability to speak Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. In April 2004 Javier assisted in recording demos for Stereophonics' next studio album, later on that year Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky" vocals...
and Richard Jones
Richard Jones (Stereophonics)
Richard Jones is the bassist and backing vocalist for the Welsh rock band Stereophonics, playing alongside Kelly Jones and Javier Weyler. Jones grew up in Cwmaman, an old mining village in South Wales...
wrote to Javier inviting him to drum permanently within the band. Javier accepted the offer and met up with the rest of the band to make Stereophonics' fifth studio album Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
Language. Sex. Violence. Other?
Language. Sex. Violence. Other? is the fifth studio album by Stereophonics, released March 14, 2005 . It received critical acclaim in the British music press, who had been hostile to the band in recent years, and notably the NME, whose reviews of the band's previous two albums had been harsh...
. He describes learning the band's back catalogue ready for touring as "More challenging than difficult" and his favourite songs from the band's first four albums are "Local Boy In The Photograph
Local Boy In The Photograph
"Local Boy in the Photograph" is the first single from the rock band Stereophonics. The song is taken from their debut album, Word Gets Around and was initially released in March 1997...
", "The Bartender And The Thief
The Bartender and the Thief
"The Bartender and the Thief" is a 1998 single by British rock band the Stereophonics. It was the first single taken from their second album Performance and Cocktails. It was released on 9 November 1998 and reached #3 in the UK charts....
" and "Mr Writer".
Javier recorded a solo album, Lagrima (meaning 'Tear'), under the persona of Capitan Melao, which was released on April 2, 2007. The project includes contributions from Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
of Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and Natalia Lafourcade
Natalia Lafourcade
Natalia Lafourcade is a Mexican pop-rock singer and songwriter. Her band's name is Natalia y La Forquetina.-Biography:...
, with Weyler describing it as having "dreamy and poetic" lyrics and Latin rhythms. Weyler's alter-ego translates as 'Capitan' being the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for 'Captain' and 'Melao' Latin American slang for "swing, rhythm or soul".
Current equipment
Slingerland Drums - 24x14" kick, 14x12" tom, 18x16" floor tom.Brady - 14x6½" block snare.
Zildjian cymbals - 15" A rock hi-hats, 19" K Medium crash, 20" A Medium crash (x2), 22" A Medium ride & 20" 1970's pang.
Slingerland hardware.
Remo heads.
Vater 5A sticks.
DW 9000 pedal.
During the world tour to promote the release of Stereophonics' 6th album Pull the Pin
Pull the Pin
Pull the Pin is the sixth studio album by Stereophonics, released in the UK on 15 October 2007. A Stereophonics newsletter released the "Pull the Pin" album artwork to subscribers. The cover was also shown to MySpace users that had added the band in a bulletin...
Javier switched from Slingerland to using Ludwig Custom Maple drums out on the road (though he still uses his Slingerland in the studio). He is using a 22x14 bass drum, 14x10 tom, 16x16 and 18x16 floor toms and a 14x61/2 Brady Jarrah block snare with all Ludwig hardware apart from a DW 9000 kick pedal and hi-hat stand. His cymbals are all Zildjian, with a 15" K/A hat mix, 22" K custom crash ride (x2), 22" K custom ride and a prototype 21" A custom crash ride. He also uses Remo drumheads and Zildjian Super 5B sticks.
Personal life
Javier lives in London. He and his brother Pablo ran in the Flora London Marathon 2009London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
, held on 26 April 2009 and collected over £5,000 in support of Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
. In May 2010 he married his fiancee Laura.
Studio albums
| Date of release | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | El Viaje de una Vida (as part of Claroscuro) | Cygnus |
| 2001 | Supereterodino (as part of Claroscuro) | Claroscuro |
| 2 April 2007 | Lagrima (as Capitan Melao) | Black Bean Music |
EPs
| Date of release | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Claroscuro (as part of Claroscuro) | Claroscuro |