Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Ray Cappo
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Career== ===Earlier career=== Cappo was occasionally a guest [[Disc jockey|DJ]] for college radio station WXCI, in [[Danbury, 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://morethanawitnessarchive.blogspot.com/2011/04/adventure-jukebox-radio-show-wxci-fm.html|title=MORE THAN A WITNESS: "ADVENTURE JUKEBOX" RADIO SHOW - WXCI-FM, DANBURY, CT. 1985. HOSTED BY RAY CAPPO|last=Prorock|first=Chris|date=April 2, 2011|website=MORE THAN A WITNESS|access-date=January 10, 2019}}</ref> ===Youth of Today=== [[File:Ray Cappo.JPG|thumb|Cappo performing with Youth of Today in Germany, 2010]] Along with guitarist [[John Porcelly]], also known as Porcell, Cappo started the seminal hardcore band [[Youth of Today]] in 1985, which quickly became one of the most well-known bands in the [[New York hardcore]] scene. Based on their [[straight edge]] ethics and a fast, aggressive sound, they created a subgenre known as [[Youth Crew]], influencing a large number of bands.<ref name="allmusic-yot">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p14782|pure_url=yes}}|title=Youth of Today Biography|last=True|first=Christopher M.|work=allmusic.com|publisher=Rovi Corporation|accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref> An important figure in the early days of Youth of Today was [[Kevin Seconds]], singer of the [[Reno, Nevada]], band [[7 Seconds (band)|7 Seconds]]. Kevin not only influenced the band, but also released their first EP, [[Youth of Today#Can.27t Close My Eyes|"Can't Close My Eyes"]] on his Positive Force Records. Before disbanding in 1990, Youth of Today released two 7-inch EPs (one later remixed and released as a 12-inch) and two LPs, widely considered to be some of the most influential American [[hardcore punk|hardcore]] records of their time. ===Revelation Records=== In 1987, along with Jordan Cooper, Cappo started [[Revelation Records]]. The label's first release was [[Warzone (band)|Warzone]]'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]] and [[Bold (band)|Bold]], (formerly [[Crippled Youth]]). This was also the first time bands like [[Gorilla Biscuits]], [[Sick of It All]], and Side by Side would be recorded and heard all over the world. Revelation would soon expand its roster westward, releasing records from California bands like [[Chain of Strength]] and No For an Answer. Today, Revelation remains a functioning record label operated by Cooper, who moved from [[New Haven, Connecticut]], to [[Huntington Beach, California]], in 1990.<ref name="rev">{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytitan.com/2007/04/19/homegrown/|title=Home Grown|last=Clift|first=Caitlin|date=April 19, 2007|work=The Daily Titan|accessdate=April 4, 2010|archive-date=May 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526073511/http://www.dailytitan.com/2007/04/19/homegrown/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ===1990s and Krishnacore=== As [[Youth of Today]] 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]] ideals. He became a devotee and an outspoken proponent of the ideologies laid out in the [[Bhagavad Gita]].<ref name=recent >{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/09/18/gaura_vani_combines_sitars_and_chants_with_rock_for_a_genre_defying_musical_mix/|title=East meets West |last1=Underwood |first1=Tripp |date=September 18, 2009|work=The Boston Globe|publisher=New York Times Company|accessdate=April 4, 2010}}</ref> 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 (band)|Shelter]].<ref name=allmusic-shelter /> Cappo again found himself starting a record label to release bands with a [[Krishna]]-conscious message, the still operating [[Equal Vision Records]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesunion.com/ASPStories/story.asp?StoryID=695783&TextPage=3|title=Burning Desires|last=Furfaro|first=Danielle|date=June 15, 2008|work=Albany Times Union|publisher=Hearst Corporation|pages=3|accessdate=April 4, 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The rise of [[Shelter (band)|Shelter]] would unexpectedly create a musical subgenre called [[Krishnacore]], with bands such as [[Cro-Mags]] as its spiritual forefathers and [[108 (band)|108]] among its main proponents.<ref name=TTN /> === Better Than a Thousand === Better Than a Thousand was a band founded in 1997 by drummer Ken Olden and guitarist Graham Land after their previous band [[Battery (hardcore punk band)|Battery]] broke up. The duo recruited Cappo as their vocalist and signed to Revelation Records.<ref name="BTaT Reissues">{{Cite news |last=Ramirez |first=Carlos |date=April 28, 2020 |title=Better Than a Thousand's Just One + Value Driven LPs to Be Reissued in Expanded Editions |work=No Echo |url=https://www.noecho.net/features/better-than-a-thousand-just-one-value-driven-reissues |access-date=May 10, 2023}}</ref> They recorded their first album, ''Just One'', in five days while Shelter was on break from touring,<ref name="BTaT Reissues" /> and released it in July 1997.<ref name="BTaT AMbio">{{Cite news |last=Downey |first=Ryan |title=Better Than a Thousand Biography |work=[[AllMusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/better-than-a-thousand-mn0000057073 |access-date=May 10, 2023}}</ref> Cappo recorded his vocals for the album in a bedroom studio in two days.<ref name="BTaT AMbio" /> They got to work immediately on their second album, with Olden saying they needed to follow up ''Just One'' with something more focused. That second album, ''Value Driven'', was recorded in another home studio setup in 1998, and released that year.<ref name="BTaT Reissues" /> They toured for the album,<ref name="BTaT Reissues" /> then broke up after Cappo moved to California and quit his straight-edge lifestyle.<ref name="BTaT AMbio" /><ref name="BTaT Reissues" /> In 2020, Olden remixed and remastered both albums for a reissue package released by End Hits Records. The reissues included the original albums and five rare bonus songs, and some editions included a 36-page [[fanzine]] called ''We Must Believe'', previously unpublished photos and liner notes.<ref name="BTaT Reissues" /> ===2000s=== Cappo lives with his family in East Chatham, New York, and is active as a [[yoga teacher]].<ref name=recent /> He continues his association with the [[Hare Krishna (mantra)|Hare Krishna]] community in the area and is an avid [[mixed martial arts]] fan and practitioner.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.fightmagazine.com/disengage-ray-cappo-is-in-the-world-but-not-of-it-3675/|last=Harder|first=Jeff|date=February 25, 2010|work=FIGHT! Magazine|accessdate=April 4, 2010|title=Disengage: Ray Cappo Is In the World But Not Of It|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225165217/http://news.fightmagazine.com/disengage-ray-cappo-is-in-the-world-but-not-of-it-3675/|archive-date=February 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Aside from the European [[Youth of Today]] reunion tour in 2003 and occasional American and European reunion shows, Cappo has been only intermittently involved in the hardcore music scene.<ref name=recent /> In 2006, Cappo released another [[Shelter (band)|Shelter]] record entitled ''Eternal'' on [[Good Life Recordings]], and embarked on a European tour. He maintains a website for his yoga and [[raw food diet]] classes and an email list promoting raw foods and featuring recipes and inspirational quotations. Cappo also sponsors tours of [[India]] featuring important sites for practitioners of yoga.<ref name=recent /> In 2020, Cappo launched the podcast ''Wisdom of the Sages'' in collaboration with fellow Hare Krishna devotee Kaustubha Das. The show features musicians alongside senior devotees of the Hare Krishna movement.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)