At a house in Guadalupe, the seven members of a jazz-ska-punk-reggae-rock band set up for practice. Then, a member's cell phone rings, bringing the bad news that the jam session must be canceled - there's a funeral going on nearby, and the music might disturb the mourners.
A chain reaction of frowns occurs on the faces of Captain Squeegee and the Soap Suds' members. Guitar cases are closed, drums aren't assembled, amps and microphones sit unplugged, and members take their seats.
"We can play sad music," jokes Austen Mack, who sings and plays organ and percussion for Captain Squeegee.
Luckily, this temporary setback isn't a common occurrence for the members of Captain Squeegee, who, since their formation two years ago, have seen much success. The group will play this year's Tempe Music Festival, a gig it won as first prize in ASU's Battle of the Bands Homecoming Week competition in October. Even though the band already played the 2004 Festival, the members agree they're excited to make their second debut this year.
The group also debuted its second album, "Behind the Metal and Metric Pace," in May 2006. Danny Torgersen, who sings and plays trumpet in the band, says the new album "summed up what we wanted to do with our music. We wanted to break the mold and make our music anti-robotic."
Members of Captain Squeegee - including Mack, Torgersen, Ryan Sims (trombone and vocals), Chris Hoskins (tenor sax), Matt Maloy (drums), Tyler Carlblom (bass), Kory McCarthy (guitar) - cite many musical influences: Foo Fighters, Chicago, Pink Floyd, Cake, Tito Puente and Frank Zappa. Clearly, the members have diverse tastes in music.
Because of this mix of influences, Sims says Captain Squeegee aimed to "blur the lines of styles" into the band's own original style in the second album. With six songs, each having a distinct musical mood, the group seems to have accomplished its goal.
Although the members of Captain Squeegee hail from all over the Valley - Chandler, Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe - two members are ASU students. Sims is a philosophy major and Mack is a music major. Torgerson and Hoskins are both music majors at Mesa Community College.
If the Soap Suds members don't spend their lives rocking out on stage, they would choose jobs ranging from an English teacher or engineer to a pilot or graphic designer. Torgerson says he couldn't see himself doing anything but making music.
But with Captain Squeegee's distinct sound and silly name, it's likely the group will stay in the limelight. Fans are often drawn to the band by its name alone, though Hoskins maintains the story behind the group's name isn't anything special. "The band was talking about name ideas and one guy just randomly threw out the name one day," he says.
Torgerson says the name's origin is a bit more mysterious. The reason behind the name is a "legend" and is "something which has many possible stories," he says.
Reach the reporter at: slchancy@asu.edu.
