Something groovy for your Monday... vintage Capn Swing! Pre-The - TopicsExpress

Something groovy for your Monday... vintage Capn Swing! Pre-The Cars, Ocasek and Orr teamed up with future Cars guitarist Elliot Easton (who had also studied at Berklee) in the band Capn Swing. Kevin Robichaud is named as drummer (according to Wikipedia) but, drummer Glenn Evans is credited on audio Ive found online...) Also, a fantastic bass player, Todd Roberto. Benjamin Orr acted as frontman, didt play an instrument, and sang the bulk of Capn Swings demos. After a change in the line up, Ben picked up the bass and David Robinson joined on drums. Best known for his career with The Modern Lovers, Robinson had also played in DMZ and the Pop! It was Robinson who came up with the name The Cars, which led to automobile-related puns. Ocasek said of the name, Its so easy to spell; it doesnt have a z on the end; its real authentic. Its pop art, in a sense. Greg Hawkes returned to fill the keyboard slot, and the band was on its way. I hope Mr. Evans wont mind me sharing this from his bandzoogle site: [[[ Glenn had been recording with Rick Otcasek and Benn Orr for a time by now and Rick asked Glenn to join the new project , Capn Swing.It was time to do something original and creative for me so i jumped ship. Demo tracks I had played drums on received major drive time airplay on WBCN radio by then DJs Maxanne Satori and Oedipus, recordings that helped pave the way for the Cars band to get a record deal I like to think. Thats right Capn Swing was the predecessor to the Cars band from Boston and is mentioned in most biographies of the group. Showcases were played at Maxs Kansas City and CBGBs in N.Y.C on October fourth and fifth 1976 and the Jazz Workshop / Pauls Mall in Boston with Foxpass on a double bill, August sixteenth, Lil Earls in Gloucester on the eighteenth through the twenty second, The Club in Cambridge with The Real Kids on July twenty through twenty second and also The Rat in Boston and a few frat parties in Oreno Maine and in town Boston. I remember Benn Orr as a very nice guy. Benn was always accompanied by his white wolf and drove a 1967 purple Impala jacked up in the back with big tires and chrome reverse wheels. Rick had a blue VW bug with grey fenders and was a constant radio button pusher. Rick was cool but aloof and liked my drumming. After losing my shirt in this band and waiting about a year for the pending recording contract, I left Capn Swing. Everything was too ambiguous for me at the time and I was not making the best decisions. My last gig with the band was three nights on Nantucket, very late on my van payments, all the bands equipment in my truck as I come off the ferry in Hyannis with Elliot Steinberg (Easton) in the passenger seat and fifteen dollars in my pocket for three nights work. Members of Capn Swing were Todd Roberto on Alembic bass guitar, Danny Schilftlin (sp?) on Fender rhodes, Elliot Steinberg on guitar, Glenn Evans on drums, Rick Otcasek on rhythm guitar, Benjamin Orzechowski on vocals only, out front of the band. Glenn basically begged Inky Fair and the Moonfast band to let him back in the band. After all he needed a steady income and the Moonfast was always booked months ahead. The band allowed Glenn back into the band and in a meeting at the agents office Glenn got the feeling that if he left the group again he would have his fingers broken, typical goombah says Glenn. So as he was settling in with Moonfast again, Ocasek called a few weeks later and asked Glenn to play some gigs with Capn Swing. I said NO I could not. After all, the Goombah would break my fingers or some other lame excuse and that was it! They went on to become a famous band known as The Cars. I have lived this down all my life in certain circles. David replaced me and he was replaced by a drum machine early on when recording, a real drag for any drummer. I guess I missed my big break because The Cars went on to fame and fortune and I continued on to another band. ]]] youtu.be/Ug5q8OfjRo4