aaamusic | On 13, Jan 2012

The brainchild of lead singer and main songwriter Jesse Rimler, Kapowski began as a series of home recordings made in the early 2000s by Rimler, his brother Jacob, and bassist Jon Gondo. Rimler and Gondo met in middle school in the Bay Area and bonded over a shared interest in 60’s British Invasion-era pop. Rimler’s father, a songwriter himself, exposed the two to the music of early masters such as Gershwin and Cole Porter. Soon, Rimler began writing songs on the home piano. Gondo and and both Rimlers began recording and performing around the Bay Area with a changing cast of musicians, slowly gaining attention for their brand of idiosyncratic pop.

Now solidified as a quartet also featuring pianist Michael Coleman and drummer Sam Ospovat (both of the experimental jazz trio BEEP) the Oakland-based Kapowski has developed a sound that is both forward-looking and steeped in classic songwriting. Their first record, Boy Detective, recorded in Oakland by Eli Crews (Tune-Yards, Deerhoof), displays a wide spectrum of songwriting, held together by Rimler’s distinct voice: Randy Newman-esque ballads; motoric rockers with a touch of Radiohead and 70s-prog; Bacharach-inspired pop; a string arrangement inspired by Van Dyke Parks.

Boy Detective will be released on February 1, 2012. Kapowski’s album release party will also be held that night (Feb. 1) at The Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, CA. They will be performing with Mwahaha and Bells. More info on the show here.

Kapowski’s Official Website
Kapowski on Facebook

Boy Detective
1. Look Alive
2. Section Eight
3. A Bothering Man
4. Picture of Health
5. Late Last Night
6. Lunatic Talk
7. Errata
8. The Underling
9. Shut-In On the Go
10. Reel to Reel