It’s funny—there are so many websites and devices and other efforts to bring people together these days. Yet, in some ways, it feels as if people are more divided than ever. It’s not connection to someone through a phone or email. Instead, it’s chance meetings. Face-to-face interaction. Spontaneous creative acts. Trust and empathy. You know, the tried-and-true things that have always bonded human beings. And an excellent example of that today is the collaboration between Reggie Watts and CAPYAC. Together, they are set to release a new EP, Songs From Celestial City, on February 28. And for the members of the collective, their bond feels like family.
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A Chance Meeting
It all began by chance. Indeed, it was late one night when the hip Los Angeles bar Gold Line was closing up. The people inside filed out onto the street and that’s when Watts met the members of the electronic band CAPYAC. They hit it off and ended up going to a karaoke party together. But the karaoke was soon replaced with live performances by Watts and CAPYAC’s members. The German-born Watts found out the group was from Berlin and they made plans to meet when they were next all in the German city. When they eventually met up, the camaraderie continued.
“We met up,” says Watts, who was the band leader for The Late Late Show With James Corden. “And just had an amazing time going to really cool places. I invited Delwin [Campbell] to play music with me on stage.” Of his connection with CAPYAC, Watts says, “It was immediately a magical combination of serendipity and resonating on a personal level.”
When you find people who feel like family, it’s important to hold onto them. To write their new music together, Watts and the members of the band convened in LA for a jam session. They improvised everything for several hours and eventually those files were edited and added to and they became the group’s new EP. “I think the unifying thing between our band and Reggie is our approach to music via improvisation,” says CAPYAC’s Campbell. “Improvisation always comes from your approach to life and the world in general. We share a similar sense of humor and a similar kind of irreverent approach to living life that is simultaneously very genuine.”
Like Family
For Watts, who is known for a certain free-spirited creative genius, his connection with the band is what drives his side of the collaboration. “They really feel like family to me,” he says. “I haven’t felt that way about a group of friends in a long time. That’s really special. My partner Katherine also feels the same way.” The bond of trust is so strong that when the artists went out on tour together upon writing their EP, the first show they played was also the first time Watts had ever seen CAPYAC—Campbell, Eric Peana and Obie Puckett—perform as a group live.
Musically, the collective creates songs that fall somewhere in the continuum between Prince and Gnarls Barkley. Watts sings falsetto over hypnotizing, addictive beats. You’re in a sugar cloud of his language and held up by the rhythms of the songs. Watts realized his connection to CAPYAC after that night they all met outside of Gold Line. He was inspired by the musical musings and the fun they had at the after-party and so he sought them out for more. When they jammed, CAPYAC played some drum loops and everything built from there. After that, the band edited the files and Watts loved the final product. “They nailed it,” he said.
“It Doesn’t Feel Like a Lark”
Today, the artists are talking about making more music together, live and recorded. It’s a big win for each of them, especially since improvised jams lead more often to a few hours of fun than they do to a project with long legs. “Reggie is already pushing to make more music with us,” says Campbell. “For that reason alone, it doesn’t feel like a lark.”
The band’s best song from its new EP might be “Dreamwalking.” It’s a radio-friendly hit that gives a body high as much as an auditory one. For Peana the song has a nostalgic feel. He even played a bass lick on it he plucked from a song he and Campbell played in high school. Lyrically, it’s a bit surreal and Watts delivers the words spontaneously. “It’s the opposite of what most songwriters do,” marvels Campbell. And for Puckett, the track feels blissful—like “waking up from a dream and you’re not sure what the dream was but you’re left with the feeling of it.”
Photo by Lily Harte / Courtesy Nettwerk
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