Oh Captain, My Captain

Bridges and Tunnels (unreleased, demo ‘08)

Prize Fighter

This Ship’s Gonna Sink

Vocalist/Songwriter Jesse Bettis:
“Josh Spacek and I met here in Portland, OR in the summer of 1998 when we were still in High School. We began playing guitars together and subsequently formed our first band (the first of a long list) I cut my teeth on a lot of music that was popular at the time like Weezer, Radiohead and the Eels. Josh on the other hand grew up listening to bands like the Beatles along with the Beach Boys, Herman’s Hermits, lots of older stuff. It wasn’t until listening to a few Beatles mix tapes on the way to our earliest shows that he turned them on to me as well. The bands that have affected me the most over the years have been: Black Sabbath, Queen, the Kinks, and the Beatles.

Oh Captain My Captain began late in 2003. Josh and I were at the helm with guitars and vocals. Adam Caputo played bass, and Jonathan Moore (currently of the band Imaginary Airship) played drums. Both Adam and Jonathan left the band to pursue other endeavors.

During the winter of 2007 Josh was having beers with Ryan Sollee (of the Builders and the Butchers) and when Sollee heard we were in need of a drummer he suggested his friend Joe Bowden. Josh called him the next day and arranged a trial rehearsal. It wasn’t more than a couple of weeks before Joe had all the new songs down and had brought his long time friend (and bassist for the Builders and the Butchers) Alex Ellis to round out the rhythm section. Within a month of the new formation, Oh Captain My Captain was in the studio recording the forthcoming full-length album.

With the early November release of our debut EP, we hope to continue to build positive momentum here in Portland, play tons of shows in the Northwest and elsewhere, and have a hell of a good time doing it.” Look for the first full length record in early 2008.

-Jesse Bettis