Ray Cappo
Encyclopedia
Ray Cappo is the former vocalist for the hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 bands Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

, Reflex From Pain, Shelter
Shelter (band)
Shelter is a Hare Krishna hardcore punk band formed by Ray Cappo.-Brief recent history:In 2001, the band released the album The Purpose, The Passion...

, Better Than A Thousand
Better Than a Thousand
Better Than A Thousand was a hardcore band with former Youth of Today singer Ray Cappo, Graham Land and Ken Olden from Battery fame. It was a side project of Shelter, Ray originally intended just to record a couple songs with some friends and it spawned three world tours and two...

, and the project recording "Pour Water On It". This icon of New York hardcore
New York hardcore
New York hardcore refers to hardcore punk and metalcore music created in New York City and to the subculture associated with that music. New York hardcore grew out of the hardcore scene established in Washington, D.C., by bands such as Bad Brains and Minor Threat. Hardcore '81 is an album by the...

 was originally from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, and played drums for the Connecticut band Violent Children. Before moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in the mid-1980s, Cappo and his band Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

 had already made a dent on the scene.

Earlier career

Cappo was occasionally a guest DJ for college radio station WXCI, in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....

, on a radio show called "The Adventure Jukebox" hosted by Darryl Ohrt of the band No Milk on Tuesday. Cappo played a wide array of hardcore music on the program, largely culled from his massive collection of records, rare unsigned EPs, and demo tapes. During this time, Cappo enthusiastically supported local hardcore shows including gigs by many early hardcore bands such as No Milk on Tuesday, 76% Uncertain, Seizure, End Product, and Abusive Action, and was often mentioned in the liner notes of their records.

Youth of Today

Along with guitarist John Porcelly
John Porcelly
John 'Porcell' Porcelly was the guitarist for the American 1980s hardcore bands Young Republicans, Violent Children, Youth Of Today and Judge. He also sang in Project X , and has had stints in other bands such as Bold and Gorilla Biscuits...

 (aka Porcell), Cappo started the seminal hardcore band Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

, which would go on to release two 7" EPs (one later remixed and released as a 12") and two LPs, widely considered to be some of the most influential American hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 records of their time. An important figure in the early days of Youth of Today was Kevin Seconds
Kevin Seconds
Kevin Seconds is a singer/songwriter/musician, born in Sacramento. As a teen, he moved with his family to Reno, Nevada where he lived until 1988 when he relocated back to Sacramento and has been based ever since....

, singer of the Reno, NV band 7 Seconds. Kevin not only influenced the band, but also released their first EP, "Can't Close My Eyes" on his Positive Force Records. Youth of Today acted as a catalyst for the thriving straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

 scene in NYC, a task declared impossible by many NYC punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 fans. From these beginnings arose a cadre of late 80s NYC straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

 bands, sometimes referred to as youth crew
Youth crew
Youth crew is a music subgenre of hardcore punk attributed to the band Youth of Today who were primarily active during the early to mid-1980s particularly during the New York hardcore scene of 1988...

 bands. These bands honed their sounds at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...

's Sunday matinees, or at the Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...

 (and later Norwalk) venue, The Anthrax
The Anthrax
The Anthrax was an all-ages music venue that hosted punk and hardcore shows during the early/mid 1980s.The actual club was located in the basement of a makeshift art gallery on the then dilapidated west side of Stamford, Connecticut. It was founded Brian and Shaun Sheridan...

.

Revelation Records

In 1987, along with Jordan Cooper, Cappo started Revelation Records
Revelation Records
Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...

. The label's first release was Warzone
Warzone (band)
Warzone was an American hardcore punk band formed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1982. The band helped develop the New York hardcore sound, the hardcore skinhead style and the youth crew subgenre...

's "Lower East Side Crew". This was soon followed by a compilation entitled New York Hardcore 1987: Together, or simply the Together Compilation. This compilation included tracks by Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

 and Bold
Bold (band)
Bold is a late 1980s youth crew hardcore band from Westchester County, New York, which along with bands like Youth Of Today and Side By Side were a part of the Youth Crew, and an influence in the late 80's straight edge hardcore scene...

, (formerly Crippled Youth). This was also the first time bands like Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits
Gorilla Biscuits are a New York City-based vegan straight edge hardcore band consisting of Anthony "Civ" Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. The band is currently signed to Revelation Records.-Early career:...

, Sick of it All
Sick of It All
Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band from Queens, New York. Formed in 1986, the band consisted of brothers Lou Koller on vocals and Pete Koller on lead guitar, Rich Cipriano on bass, and Armand Majidi on drums. There have been only two member changes since their inception, with Max...

, and Side By Side
Side By Side (band)
Side By Side was an American hardcore punk band on Revelation Records. They were a band from NY of youth crew persuasion. Recorded output was limited to a single 7", You're Only Young Once... Their 7" was the fifth record released by Revelation Records....

 would be recorded and heard all over the world. Revelation would soon expand its roster westward, releasing records from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 bands like Chain of Strength
Chain of Strength
Chain of Strength was a late '80s and early '90s straight edge hardcore punk band from Southern California.-Biography:The first Chain of Strength release was a 7" EP entitled True Till Death, released through Revelation Records. After parting ways with Revelation, they formed their own Foundation...

 and No For an Answer. Today, Revelation remains a functioning record label operated by Cooper, who moved from New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

 to Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

 in 1990.

The 1990s and "Krishna-core"

As Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

 began to wind down, Cappo found himself drawn to Krishna Consciousness, due in large part to his study of religions that embraced his vegetarian and straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

 ideals. He became a devotee and an outspoken proponent of the ideologies laid out in the Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...

. Cappo resolved to create a final album to express his beliefs. The album was a marked departure from the style of Youth of Today, and Revelation Records decided to release it under a new band, which became known as Shelter
Shelter (band)
Shelter is a Hare Krishna hardcore punk band formed by Ray Cappo.-Brief recent history:In 2001, the band released the album The Purpose, The Passion...

. Cappo again found himself starting a record label to release bands with a Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

-conscious message, the still operating Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....

. The rise of Shelter
Shelter (band)
Shelter is a Hare Krishna hardcore punk band formed by Ray Cappo.-Brief recent history:In 2001, the band released the album The Purpose, The Passion...

 would unexpectedly create a musical sub-genre called "Krishna-core", with bands such as Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...

 as its spiritual forefathers and 108
108 (band)
108 is an American hardcore band founded in 1991. Their music reflected the Hare Krishna faith of its members. Their name comes from the number of beads on the Japa mala, or mantra counting beads.- History :...

 among its main proponents.

Today

Cappo currently lives with his family in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and is active as a yoga teacher. He continues his association with the Hare Krishna community in the area and is an avid mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 fan and practitioner. Aside from the European Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

 reunion tour in 2003 and occasional American and European reunion shows, Cappo has been only intermittently involved in the hardcore music scene.

In 2006, Ray Cappo released another Shelter
Shelter (band)
Shelter is a Hare Krishna hardcore punk band formed by Ray Cappo.-Brief recent history:In 2001, the band released the album The Purpose, The Passion...

 record entitled Eternal on Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...

, and embarked on a European tour. He maintains a website for his yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 and raw food diet
Raw food diet
Raw foodism is the practice of consuming uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet....

 classes and an email list promoting raw foods and featuring recipes and inspirational quotations. Cappo also sponsors tours of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 featuring important sites for practitioners of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

.

Discography

with Reflex From Pain
  • Checkered Future (1990)

with Violent Children
  • Violent Children (1983)
  • Violent Children (1984)
  • Skate Straight (1984)

with Youth of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...

  • Connecticut Fun compilation (1985)
  • Can't Close My Eyes EP (1986, Positive Force Records)
  • Break Down The Walls (1987)
  • New York City Hardcore – Together compilation (1987, Revelation Records
    Revelation Records
    Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for its role in the evolution of hardcore and metallic post-hardcore with important releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side,...

    )
  • New York City Hardcore – The Way It Is compilation (1988, Revelation Records)
  • We're Not In This Alone (1988)
  • Youth of Today (1990)

with Shelter
Shelter (band)
Shelter is a Hare Krishna hardcore punk band formed by Ray Cappo.-Brief recent history:In 2001, the band released the album The Purpose, The Passion...

  • Perfection of Desire (1990)
  • No Compromise (1990)
  • In Defense of Reality (1991)
  • Attaining the Supreme (1993)
  • Mantra
    Mantra (Shelter album)
    In 1995 Shelter released their critically acclaimed album Mantra. With this album the band moved away from the more punk pop style and created a melodic hardcore style. The song “Here We Go” even became a hardcore anthem...

     (1995, Roadrunner Records
    Roadrunner Records
    Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

    )
  • Beyond Planet Earth (1997, Roadrunner Records)
  • When 20 Summers Pass (2000, Victory Records
    Victory Records
    Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....

    )
  • The Purpose, The Passion (2001, Supersoul)
  • Eternal (2006, Good Life Recordings
    Good Life Recordings
    Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...

    )

with Ray & Porcell
  • Ray & Porcell (1991)

with Better Than A Thousand
Better Than a Thousand
Better Than A Thousand was a hardcore band with former Youth of Today singer Ray Cappo, Graham Land and Ken Olden from Battery fame. It was a side project of Shelter, Ray originally intended just to record a couple songs with some friends and it spawned three world tours and two...

  • Just One (1997, Revelation Records)
  • Value Driven (1998, Epitaph)
  • Self Worth single (1999, Grapes of Wrath)

with Story of the Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...

  • Falling Down (2003, Page Avenue)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK