Captain, We’re Sinking celebrates 10 years of ‘Future Is Cancelled’ at Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on July 22
From a press release:
It was announced today that Captain, We’re Sinking will reunite for “The Future Is Cancelled” 10 Year Anniversary Show on Saturday, July 22 at the F.M. Kirby Center as part of the Wilkes-Barre theater’s Chandelier Lobby Concert Series.
2023 marks 10 years since the release of the Scranton punk band’s powerhouse full-length “The Future Is Cancelled,” so Run for Cover Records is re-releasing their sophomore album on tri-color vinyl as a deluxe edition with two additional bonus tracks – “Let’s Play Kill All the Humans,” a B-side from the band’s 2012 “Montreal” single, and a cover of Abner Jay’s “I’m So Depressed.”
To celebrate a decade of “TFIC,” Captain, We’re Sinking will be performing the album in its entirety for the first time ever. Following this event, they will only play one more anniversary show in Philadelphia at PhilaMOCA on Sunday, July 23.
Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 6 p.m., and the music starts at 7:30 p.m. Scranton indie punk outfit Those Clever Foxes and Wilkes-Barre hardcore band Worn will open the all-ages show.
Tickets, which are $20 in advance or $25 on the day of the show, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, May 19 at 10 a.m. at the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100.
A stunning display of gritty punk and gut-wrenching storytelling, “The Future Is Cancelled” saw the group stepping into place alongside local contemporaries The Menzingers and Tigers Jaw while challenging boundaries set forth by genre greats like Against Me! and Alkaline Trio.
Every aspect of the record is rife with a frazzled desperation, each element trying to make sense of a modern existence. Pensive but emotional and always meandering, the vocals spin half-yelled melodies around half-broken characters. Buzzing and jangly guitars, pounding bass, and dynamic drums guide the journey perfectly, at times controlled and at others completely reckless.
On “The Future Is Cancelled,” CWS offers no answers and makes no promises. Instead, the band offers a crystal clear view into a confusing and foggy time where one grapples with the horrors and uncertainties of impending adulthood.
Punknews gave the acclaimed album 5 out of 5 stars, calling it “a triumph of intelligently conceived, darkly thematic songwriting as well as a welcome celebration of the scope and promise of all that punk music can offer.” Idobi said, “It is natural, genuine, and articulately passionate. The versatility and authenticity displayed on this record places Captain, We’re Sinking on a level above their contemporaries.”
Captain, We’re Sinking has been accidentally leaving their merch behind at shows since forming in 2006. They got to the show a little late and they might need to borrow a guitar pick, but their earnest and explosive brand of catchy alternative punk music will win you over before you have the chance to catch your breath.
Co-songwriters and vocalists Bobby Barnett and Leo Vergnetti write songs about real life struggles, love and hate, humanity recklessly sprinting towards endtimes, and romanticized tales of growing up in small coal towns. With a live show characterized by screaming sing-alongs, a dual guitar attack, dynamic basslines, and the thunderous grooves of drummer Bill Orender, CWS has proven time and again to be one of the most unique and exciting punk bands to come out of the vibrant Scranton music scene.
Following their performance at the 2017 NEPA Holiday Show with The Menzingers and Tigers Jaw, they announced in early 2018 that they were splitting up after 12 years. Nearly five years later, they reunited to headline the inaugural Good Things Are Happening Fest at the Scranton Iron Furnaces with Ben Walsh of Tigers Jaw on bass.
See NEPA Scene’s review and photos of the 2017 NEPA Holiday Show here, read a 2013 interview with Barnett here, and listen to Barnett talk about the band’s 12-year career, growing up at an important time in the local music scene, recording albums like “The Future Is Cancelled,” why they split up and what made this anticipated reunion finally happen, his new solo record “Darkness, Only Darkness,” raising kids and working as a history teacher, and more in Episode 153 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
Photo by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
