Fat Wreck Chords

A musician since the age of 10, for well over 2 decades Joey Cape has been lending his voice, his songwriting skills and his guitar playing and his casual charm to the likes of bands as disparate as Lagwagon, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Bad Astronaut and even to his work as a solo artist. A rock and roll renaissance man, Joey’s a punk, an indie rocker, a troubadour and a shit-kicking cover artist all in one, and he’s been doing it all since before most of us were even born. Prolific as ever, now Joey finds his voice in a steady stream of acoustic releases. Most recently teaming up with the late Tony Sly of No Use For A Name for a follow up to 2004’s Acoustic, this time the record Acoustic Volume 2. Tony passed away on July 31st, 2012 at the end of an east coast run with Joey. “When I think of losing Tony, I think not of myself but of Tony’s budding family, his many close friends and his loyal fans all desperately missing him, I find an emptiness, a figurative hole in my chest and a literal hole in my life and I most certainly will never be able to fill it. Still, I am a better person having known Tony Sly and will always consider our shared experience a fortune in hand and now in heart and mind”-Joey Cape

Joey is probably most famous for his work fronting Lagwagon. As a pioneer of the classic Fat Wreck sound, Joey and Lagwagon first began in 1989 where they gained international notoriety for their rapid tempos, extreme technical proficiency and alternately heartfelt lyrics. Over the course more than two decades as a band, Lagwagon has put out eight studio records, a live album, an E.P. and recently the comprehensive box set Putting Music In Its Place. Looking at their 2012 touring schedule it is clear, they show no signs of halting the wagon. Lagwagon is only part of Joey’s story.

Notoriously a workaholic, “The Caper” has spent the last decade or so moonlighting as the guitarist in loudmouthed cover band/antagonists, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes as well as exploring some of his more obtuse indie rock influences as the frontman and guitarist of acts Bad Astronaut, The Playing Favorites, Scorpios and most recently, Bad Loud.

In 2004, Joey made his first solo effort, an acoustic record with the aforementioned Tony Sly. The split LP Acoustic, featured sparse takes on Lagwagon tunes. Then, in 2008, Joey and his acoustic guitar returned with his first in a long line of truly solo efforts Bridge, which featured some never before heard songs that have drawn comparisons to such indie acts as Iron and Wine and Elliot Smith. On his latest acoustic effort, Acoustic Vol. 2, Joey’s side features five more acoustic versions of Lagwagon songs and a new tune while Tony has matched him with five stripped down NUFAN numbers and his respective new song, the last he would record.
In 2013, Joey shows no sign of slowing down, currently working with Lagwagon on their first full-length album in 8 years, a new Me First and the Gimme Gimmes record and of course his latest solo acoustic L.P., all the while touring in the interim.