Dead Capo

Dead Capo is one of the most original Spanish bands, treading a no-man's land between jazz, rock, and listener-friendly avant-garde while defying easy categorization. Formed in Madrid in 1999, Dead Capo emerged from Insecto's breakup. Since then, members Javier Díez-Ena (double bass), Javíer Adán (guitar), and Javier Gallego (drums) strived to blend an endless amalgam of influences ranging from soundtrack music (Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, John Barry, Nino Rota), to funk, surf, blues, rockabilly, jazz (Don Ellis, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy) and New York's downtown scene (John Zorn, the Lounge Lizards/John Lurie, Marc Ribot), among many others. In 2000, the band created their own label, Pueblo Records, and released their first album, Díscolo, an excellent showcase of their iconoclastic character with the aid of additional musicians such as Nacho Mastretta and Markus Breuss. However, it is in their live shows that Dead Capo's strengths emerge to the fullest, with high-energy performances that encompass their own material as well as nods to admired composers like Bernard Hermann and John Zorn. Some of their live shows include the Experimentaclub festival in La Casa Encendida (2003) and Festival de Otoño (2005) in the Círculo de Bellas Artes, both in Madrid, or world-class festivals like Benicàssim and Injuve 2003. In 2006, Argentine filmmaker Miguel Ángel Cárcano chose some of Dead Capo's music for his full-length movie Interior (Noche), elected for that year's edition of the Festival de Cine de San Sebastián. ~ Efrén del Valle Peñamil, Rovi