Emo Doesn't Mean Emotional, Fuckhead: A Capulette Interview

There are a lot of misconceptions in the music world about the term “emo.” When people hear the term emo they think its faux teenage angst with screaming and detuned guitars – it’s either that or they don’t know it at all. What you don’t read on music rags that pride themselves as the voice of the new generation of music listeners *cough*SPIN!*cough*ALTERNATIVE PRESS!*cough* is emo is a genre, an off shoot of hardcore and punk music. They mention Rites of Spring, then jump to the mid-90s with Sunny Day Real Estate. What the fuck? It started in the mid-80s when hardcore kids got tired of the same tough guy attitude of the scene; some decided to go the emotional route instead but still fusing their personal politics and punk ethics in the mix. Where’s Moss Icon? Orchid? Indian Summer? Fucking hell, where’s Portraits of Past in the pages of these poor excuses for music magazines?

Now the mainstream media has made emo a catch-all phrase, dubbing bands that has nothing to do with the genre stick out like a sore fucking thumb. That’s what the scene gets after living under the radar for 20 years, being portrayed as suicidal kids that wear black eyeliner, stupid tight as fuck girl pants and write bad poetry about their ex-girlfriends. “What’s worse is the portrayal of emo in the mainstream as a lifestyle centered on tight pants, greasy hair, and faux depression. And the cutting is the worst part. None of that garbage has anything to do with hardcore,” Francis Maria of Davao based band Capulette said.

Thank someone for bands like Capulette for keeping with the essence of what emo really is. This four piece band is relatively young in the scene, not to mention the members being young as well with all of them under the age of 20, but they do have their fair share of trials and tribulations -- from releasing a short list of EPs, putting up their own shows and even being hated on by most of the Davao scenesters. “[We get hated on] just for organizing shows and not hanging out with the older DIY people. We don't care about that. A scene is a scene no matter how old or how young [you are]. It’s doing stuff for yourself and other people, for the greater good,” Francis quips about the subject. “We just shake it off. Some people say we try to look tough. Dammit, I’m a posicore kid; I’m not supposed to look tough.”

Capulette’s history is a pretty simple story of a bunch of kids just wanting to play music they would love. “Well, Paeng and I tried to start lots of bands but never with any permanent members. We eventually found a drummer and a chick [on] bass. Soon, we talked to Ron and Jireh of local post-hardcore band Days of Glory since we kicked our drummer out, and instead of bass Danica moved to guitar. After playing a few shows with her, we kicked her out too leaving Capulette as a four piece,” Francis recounts sounding a tad harsh on his former band mates. Well you can’t expect life in a band to be easy can you? And in a scene like Davao, filled with crusties and death metal kids, you can’t really expect a very warm welcome for an emo band as well. Blame the media for shoving My Chemical Romance or Chicosci down our throats and calling it emo, completely bastardizing the proper use of the term.

“Well, sound wise, I think we'd fit in there. Still [looking for] our niche,” Francis told me when I asked if he considered Capulette as a “real emo band.” But with songs like 1941, reminiscent of the band Indian Summer, or Today Marked the End of a Page Inked in Cold Blood, where they get all Pg.99 up your ass, its not a very hard sell. “As much as we want to we know we shouldn't [sign to a major label]. It's going to cave everything in. Of course we want money, but not like that. We're playing for the sake of playing because it's what we love. That's what day jobs are for, so you work and get paid. Not bands. That's something that's going to suck us dry. I'd rather get signed on a small label like Puro Ka indie! Collective, more creative control and a common view of music are shared. Inside perspective, that's very important.” And it also seems they got the punk ethics down too as well.

Maybe there is hope for the youth of today.

2006

[ed: Capulette has since disbanded. Ex-members could be now heard playing with the band Caitlyn Bailey.]