Ray Cappo
 |
Ray Cappo | |
|---|---|
 Cappo performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Raghunath Das Ray of Today |
| Origin | Connecticut,U.S.[1] |
| Genres | Hardcore punk,krishnacore,melodic hardcore,pop punk,indie,folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
Ray Cappo,also known asRaghunath Das,[2]is an Americanpunk rockmusician best known as the vocalist for the bandsYouth of TodayandShelterand as founder of theindependent record labelsRevelation RecordsandEqual Vision Records.
Originally fromConnecticut,Cappo played drums for the band Violent Children.[3]Before moving to New York City in the 1980s, Youth of Today had already made an impact on thestraight edgehardcore punkscene.[3][4]
Career
[edit]Earlier career
[edit]Cappo was occasionally a guestDJfor college radio station WXCI, inDanbury, Connecticut,on a radio show called "The Adventure Jukebox" hosted by Darryl Ohrt of the band No Milk on Tuesday. Cappo played a wide array of hardcore music on the program, largely culled from his massive collection of records, rare unsigned EPs, and demo tapes. During this time, Cappo enthusiastically supported local hardcore shows including gigs by many early hardcore bands such as No Milk on Tuesday, 76% Uncertain, Seizure, End Product, and Abusive Action, and was often mentioned in the liner notes of their records.[5]
Youth of Today
[edit]
Along with guitaristJohn Porcelly,also known as Porcell, Cappo started the seminal hardcore bandYouth of Todayin 1985, which quickly became one of the most well-known bands in theNew York hardcorescene. Based on theirstraight edgeethics and a fast, aggressive sound, they created a subgenre known asYouth Crew,influencing a large number of bands.[6]An important figure in the early days of Youth of Today wasKevin Seconds,singer of theReno, Nevada,band7 Seconds.Kevin not only influenced the band, but also released their first EP,"Can't Close My Eyes"on his Positive Force Records. Before disbanding in 1990, Youth of Today released two 7-inch EPs (one later remixed and released as a 12-inch) and two LPs, widely considered to be some of the most influential Americanhardcorerecords of their time.
Revelation Records
[edit]In 1987, along with Jordan Cooper, Cappo startedRevelation Records.The label's first release wasWarzone's "Lower East Side Crew". This was soon followed by a compilation entitled New York Hardcore 1987: Together, or simply the Together Compilation. This compilation included tracks byYouth of TodayandBold,(formerlyCrippled Youth). This was also the first time bands likeGorilla Biscuits,Sick of It All,and Side by Side would be recorded and heard all over the world. Revelation would soon expand its roster westward, releasing records from California bands likeChain of Strengthand No For an Answer. Today, Revelation remains a functioning record label operated by Cooper, who moved fromNew Haven, Connecticut,toHuntington Beach, California,in 1990.[7]
1990s and Krishnacore
[edit]AsYouth of Todaybegan to wind down, Cappo found himself drawn toKrishna Consciousness,due in large part to his study of religions that embraced his vegetarian andstraight edgeideals. He became a devotee and an outspoken proponent of the ideologies laid out in theBhagavad Gita.[8]Cappo resolved to create a final album to express his beliefs. The album was a marked departure from the style of Youth of Today, and Revelation Records decided to release it under a new band, which became known asShelter.[4]Cappo again found himself starting a record label to release bands with aKrishna-conscious message, the still operatingEqual Vision Records.[9]The rise ofShelterwould unexpectedly create a musical subgenre calledKrishnacore,with bands such asCro-Magsas its spiritual forefathers and108among its main proponents.[3]
Better Than a Thousand
[edit]Better Than a Thousand was a band founded in 1997 by drummer Ken Olden and guitarist Graham Land after their previous bandBatterybroke up. The duo recruited Cappo as their vocalist and signed to Revelation Records.[10]They recorded their first album,Just One,in five days while Shelter was on break from touring,[10]and released it in July 1997.[11]Cappo recorded his vocals for the album in a bedroom studio in two days.[11]They got to work immediately on their second album, with Olden saying they needed to follow upJust Onewith something more focused. That second album,Value Driven,was recorded in another home studio setup in 1998, and released that year.[10]They toured for the album,[10]then broke up after Cappo moved to California and quit his straight-edge lifestyle.[11][10]In 2020, Olden remixed and remastered both albums for a reissue package released by End Hits Records. The reissues included the original albums and five rare bonus songs, and some editions included a 36-pagefanzinecalledWe Must Believe,previously unpublished photos and liner notes.[10]
2000s
[edit]Cappo lives with his family in East Chatham, New York, and is active as ayoga teacher.[8]He continues his association with theHare Krishnacommunity in the area and is an avidmixed martial artsfan and practitioner.[12]Aside from the EuropeanYouth of Todayreunion tour in 2003 and occasional American and European reunion shows, Cappo has been only intermittently involved in the hardcore music scene.[8]
In 2006, Cappo released anotherShelterrecord entitledEternalonGood Life Recordings,and embarked on a European tour. He maintains a website for his yoga andraw food dietclasses and an email list promoting raw foods and featuring recipes and inspirational quotations. Cappo also sponsors tours ofIndiafeaturing important sites for practitioners of yoga.[8]
In 2020, Cappo launched the podcastWisdom of the Sagesin collaboration with fellow Hare Krishna devotee Kaustubha Das. The show features musicians alongside senior devotees of the Hare Krishna movement.
Discography
[edit]withReflex from Pain
- Checkered Future(1983)
withViolent Children
- Violent Children(1983)
- Violent Children(1984)
- Skate Straight(1984)
withYouth of Today
- Connecticut Funcompilation (1985)
- Can't Close My EyesEP (1986, Positive Force Records)
- Break Down the Walls(1987)
- New York City Hardcore – Togethercompilation (1987,Revelation Records)
- New York City Hardcore – The Way It Iscompilation (1988, Revelation Records)
- We're Not in This Alone(1988)
- Youth of Today(1990)
withShelter
- Perfection of Desire(1990)
- No Compromise(1990)
- In Defense of Reality(1991)
- Attaining the Supreme (1993)
- Mantra(1995,Roadrunner Records)
- Beyond Planet Earth(1997, Roadrunner Records)
- When 20 Summers Pass(2000,Victory Records)
- The Purpose, the Passion(2001, Supersoul)
- Eternal(2006,Good Life Recordings)
withRay & Porcell
- Ray & Porcell(1991)
withBetter Than a Thousand
- Just One(1997, Revelation Records)
- Value Driven(1998, Epitaph)
- "Self Worth" single (1999, Grapes of Wrath)
- Falling Down(2003, Page Avenue)
References
[edit]- ^Abbey, Eric James; Helb, Colin (2014).Hardcore, Punk, and Other Junk: Aggressive Sounds in Contemporary Music.Le xing ton Books.ISBN978-0-7391-7606-1.
- ^"Influential Krishnacore Band Shelter Reunite for U.S. and European Shows".ISKCON News.April 23, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon March 29, 2020.RetrievedNovember 30,2020.
- ^abc"The Krishna Hardcore Connection".The Temple News Online.May 4, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2011.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
- ^abDowney, Ryan J."Shelter Biography".allmusic.Rovi Corporation.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
- ^Prorock, Chris (April 2, 2011)."MORE THAN A WITNESS:" ADVENTURE JUKEBOX "RADIO SHOW - WXCI-FM, DANBURY, CT. 1985. HOSTED BY RAY CAPPO".MORE THAN A WITNESS.RetrievedJanuary 10,2019.
- ^True, Christopher M."Youth of Today Biography".allmusic.Rovi Corporation.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
- ^Clift, Caitlin (April 19, 2007)."Home Grown".The Daily Titan.Archived fromthe originalon May 26, 2010.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
- ^abcdUnderwood, Tripp (September 18, 2009)."East meets West".The Boston Globe.New York Times Company.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
- ^Furfaro, Danielle (June 15, 2008)."Burning Desires".Albany Times Union.Hearst Corporation. p. 3.RetrievedApril 4,2010.[dead link]
- ^abcdefRamirez, Carlos (April 28, 2020)."Better Than a Thousand's Just One + Value Driven LPs to Be Reissued in Expanded Editions".No Echo.RetrievedMay 10,2023.
- ^abcDowney, Ryan."Better Than a Thousand Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedMay 10,2023.
- ^Harder, Jeff (February 25, 2010)."Disengage: Ray Cappo Is In the World But Not Of It".FIGHT! Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon February 25, 2012.RetrievedApril 4,2010.
External links
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