Article and Photos by: Jason Robey
Several days of cryptic social media posts about “interplanetary life” came to a head on Saturday when Phoenix-based Captain Squeegee closed their Epic Proportions tour at the Crescent Ballroom. As the house lights were replaced by a wash of psychedelic imagery projected onto the stage, the six members were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, who were in-turn treated to an hour-long set of some of the finest progressive rock the valley has to offer.
Keyboardist Austen Mack kicked off the music with the bouncy, staccato stabs of the opening chords to the new song, “Terrorist of Time,” soon to be accompanied by the unique vocal phrasings of frontman Danny Torgersen. By the time the rest of the band kicked in, the club was filled with dancing bodies and swirling lights. After a quick greeting to the crowd, the band jumped into “Dually Noted,” from their latest full-length release, To the Bardos! from 2013. Bassist Ben Jones and drummer Matt Maloy kept a remarkably tight rhythm throughout the evening, while Chris Hoskins and Ryan Sims filled the space between lyrics with lively horn riffs and the occasional synth line.
It’s easy to tell that the members of the band have fun on stage and don’t take themselves too seriously, but it is also obvious that they are a very talented and well-rehearsed group of musicians. Over the band’s thirteen years, there have been so many lineup changes that there are no original members left. In fact, Torgersen joked at this show that “we don’t even know why we’re called Captain Squeegee.” Their sound has also evolved, beginning in 2002 as a ska-punk band, they have kept horns all-along but have gone in a more progressive and mature route. It has paid off well, as they have been picking up a bigger following, and announced tonight that after previous stints on the local stage, they will be playing the main stage at the 2016 McDowell Mountain Music Festival.
One highlight of the evening was “Seek,” which had a music video released earlier this week, that the band describes as an “alien + human love saga.” Only two of the set’s eight songs weren’t from To the Bardos!, both of which were new, unreleased songs—the aforementioned show opener, and a slower groove called “Ghost Ships.” Following their closer, “Cosmic Waltz,” the crowd begged for an encore, but they will just have to wait until next time.
The show had three opening acts, starting off with a few songs by electronic group The Maya Spectra, followed by an upbeat and fun acoustic set by Gabe Kubanda (who shot a music video during his last song) and finally an eclectic pop set by Luna Aura (whose drummer sat in on a few songs with Kubanda, as well). Although all four bands tonight were very different styles, they were all received well by the crowd.
Captain Squeegee setlist:
Terrorist of Time
Dually Noted
Interwoven
Seek
My Machine
Ghost Ships
Mirror Images
Cosmic Waltz
