And Now, A Personal Message From The Capitol Years
Dear Philadelphia,
We are The Capitol Years, and we have been playing in this grand old city for some years now. Sure, we’ve played music for folks in the UK, Spain, Israel, and across the country, but our closest friends, fans, critics, and supporters have always been here, in Philadelphia. We’ve always returned home to play our best shows just a few blocks from our beds.
We wanted to take a moment to thank all our friends and fans who came out for the show last night in Rittenhouse Square. It was certainly a night to remember.
HOWEVER, before all the awesome clips and photos leak out, we wanted to take a moment to apologize for our newest band member, “Naomi Two-Steps.” Many of you may have been horrified at the sight of her climbing onstage, grabbing the mics, fondling our various guitars and body parts, or simply her violating our strict Capitol Years “No Hats, No Shorts Onstage” rule.
At rehearsals, Naomi was super professional and truly impressed us with her pipes… as well as her singing voice. Even still, it seems this was all a ruse as she was simply waiting for her Capitol Years debut…to try and take over! Her antics surprised us all.
We want to apologize for her distracting from the magical tunes were were weaving, and hope that it’s some consolation for you to learn that we did manage to cut her microphone at the peak of her 38 minute performance and diatribe (we honestly don’t know what she intended by her rants, but let’s just say we heard the words “John McCain,” “tiger cage,” and “iPhone”).
And now, with the comedy behind us, we actually do want to take a candid moment and ask, “What the hell happened last night?,” or rather, how can this be prevented in the future? And much more seriously, should or can (!) the city make greater efforts to address, help and treat the homeless population of Philadelphia. There’s only so much a band can do…
Now listen, we love our Philly cops as much as the next band, but there was apparently no police presence in the park or near the stage. This, on a night when we all knew there would be a solid 1,000 or so people coming to enjoy the weather and the music. There was no concert security as well, leaving it to random spectators, friends, the sound crew (not their job) or passersby to try and handle “Naomi.” For this, we thank you guys and girls and are amazed and heartwarmed that you were the ones who took it upon yourselves to try and solve the situation. Not only was this awkward for those who tried to help, it was also a bit dangerous, as there was really no way to know what could have transpired. (The silver lining for us is that Naomi kept her pants on while onstage… Gildon Works were not so lucky, forced to stare at her bare nether regions on display in the audience towards the end of their excellent set.)
Hopefully, people enjoyed themselves, but it must be obvious to all who witnessed last night that there was something peculiarly wrong with the events as they played out. A lively discussion of last night’s events should benefit us all. And to those reading who were not there, please make a note of the fact that our friend “Naomi” was on and off stage for a solid 20-30 minutes. She was also at the foot of the stage for the remaing 30 minutes or so. There was plenty of time for the appropriate parties sort this out peacefully. We tried our best to handle the situation thoughtfully, with some light banter and “love each other” vibes, with mixed results. As we played through our various “hits,” we too were trying to think of a good way to deal with the situation. “What cover song can we play that will mellow this crazy chick out?” “Which Phil Collins’ movie theme will soothe her soul?”, “Is it ‘Against All Odds’, or ‘Separate Lives?’, “They’re both so good!”
But seriously, we do thank our friends wholeheartedly for trying to help, and we thank the audience for sticking it out.
Thanks for being patient, we so very much hope you enjoyed the show (and our songs, the ramshackle performance that it was), and please come see us again.
And now, if you’ve nothing better to do at work, please discuss!
Oh, and check out some new songs online…
Love, The Capitol Years.
www.myspace.com/thecapitolyears
www.capitolyears.com
obama08ohyeah.com
PS – You’ll be happy to know that last night was Naomi’s last show with the band. There is talk of her joining National Eye at Friday’s North Star show with the High Strung, but last we heard negotiations were at a stalemate due to her backstage rider requests: 17 lbs of La Colombe coffee, a gift certificate to Parc, and 10 servings of Osteria’s Hazelnut Pudding Budino dessert. She’s a Foodie!
August 21st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
shouldn’t the Weekly have some responsibility for security? especially since they’re serving sweet, delicious vodka drinks to at least a portion of the audience…
August 21st, 2008 at 1:03 pm
I was also going to say that PW as the event sponsor, and presumably permit holder if permits were necessary, should have had someone in charge of security if they hadn’t hired a police detail. In fact, I’d be surprised if some sort of explanation of crowd control/security assurance wasn’t mandated in a permit application. Police don’t just “show up” at an event, if you want them, they need to be hired, (and the OT police in most cities get from working such details is a well known perk of the job).
As for Capitol Years, I’m a bit confused. I’d figure around minute 8 or so you all might be able to come to some sort of eye contact consensus and agree that maybe, just maybe you should all stop playing for a second and say, “Lady, get the fuck off our stage.” If not quite that, stop and shout out to whoever was pulling the strings for PW something like, “Hey, organizer guy, get yourself or someone up here to get this lady the fuck off our stage.” I’m sure your audience would have understood the slight interruption.
Now I’m picturing all the footage of last night getting compiled into some sort of philthy lowrent version of “Gimme Shelter” alternating footage of “grinding lady” and The Capitol Years doing their best fay Mick Jagger in the editing room: staring wide eyed at the monitor, speechless except for the occasional utterance of “she just romped all over us.” Mocking her now is a bit johnny too lately, she pwned you.
For the record, the majority of homeless I’ve talked to that linger around shows tend to like the music. They’re also generally not into the interactive thing either beyond chatting up other audience members.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:24 pm
She looks like the same woman who was thrown out of my karaoke night at the Khyber for doing the same thing. I was amused for the first few minutes as it was during a song I hated.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm
thank god for wh*te guilt. Without it this would have ended in within the first 20 seconds.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
An open letter to:
I merely disliked Capitol Years before this, but seriously:
“We want to apologize for her distracting from the magical tunes were were weaving”
I’m with Impaler on this one [in a nutshell, don't be such a fucking pussy, do something about it]. But to create an open letter essentially saying, “keep rock safe from the homeless; hire a piggy” sets a new bar for douchebaggery.
If you guys spent your formative years in West Philly dealing with the ever present stage-disrupting-threat that is Omar, you could have handled this one.
With Love for West Philly,
fec-one
August 21st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
After reading this whole thing the only appalling thing that stuck out in my mind was that they actually referred to themselves as magical.
Holy Balls!
August 21st, 2008 at 3:17 pm
after the cuteness of it all wore off, the capitol years DID say into the mic something along the lines of “umm … could we maybe get some help up here?” and no one did come to help. as nearly as i could tell, the weekly had one person on security — the santa claus/fergie looking guy — who went up to the stage and shrugged his shoulders. “what can i do?”
the band shouldn’t exactly be expected to do its own security detail when it’s on stage. they handled it about as well as any band should: lightheartedly while expecting whoever is in charge to take care of the problem. instead, the singer of the band had to stop mid-song, leave the stage, and try to find help, when in the end they still took care of it themselves.
and you know, while we’re commenting, the “VIP” tent sure served up a lot of beer and vodka drinks for having nowhere for people to relieve themselves. i’m sure barnes & noble appreciated people forming lines just to take a piss.
August 21st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Oh, I agree the PW was totally the Jerry to The Capitol Years’ Stones at this little Rittenhouse by way of Altamont Speedway fete. They were still pwned by the mating dance though. Really, when the lack of security failed this was a an occasion for the exercise of very close quarter anti-heckler wits. Nothing but fail.
Everybody Soybomb whoever’s next.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Crooks, I kindof agree, but I think that the whole “having feet” guilt played into it too.
and its ridiculous that there wasn’t one cop in front there. just one.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Come on Fec One! Did Omar have 2 legs? Because this woman had none (and seemed mentally ill), but I guess you wouldn’t know that since you are such a non-fan and probably weren’t at the show. Sorry, but we all know that you just can’t be mean to a mentally ill, legless lady,(unless you’re an ass) so I would like to give the band credit for having the patience to deal with her gently. They seemed like nice guys.
And really Fec One — this isn’t high school– no one needs to prove that they’re not a “pussy”, or that they are tougher b/c of the neighborhood they grew up in. I’m not sure that wrestling this particular person off the stage (physically or verbally)would have exactly proven “non-pussy” status anyway.
Also, I don’t think that anyone expects the police to protect bands from homeless people, as they have as much right to enjoy a public performance as the next person, but when an individual (homeless or not)interrupts performances and flashes the audience, I think we should all expect the police to arrive w/in a few minutes(especially in a central place like Rittenhouse – they really shouldn’t be too far away to begin with, right?)
With that said, I agree that the PW should have had the security thing figured out (and the bathroom thing figured out too), especially since they were serving alcohol in the tent. And just for the record, I read the whole “We want to apologize for her distracting from the magical tunes we were weaving” as a somewhat joking comment, and perhaps as a nicer way of saying “our set got all f***** up last night!
August 21st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I want to hear Omar stories.
Come on, dd123, did anyone _call_ the police? Otherwise, what is that special “cop sense” supposed to kick in telling them “a thousand or so white kids’ mellow is getting harshed by a homeless person. Put those serial rapists on hold and everybody suit up!” The police simply are not to blame for this. PW, the organizer, failed on the logistics front big time and bladder time; and I still say The Capitol Years failed in losing control of their set. I mean, regardless of race, and disability, she was perfectly able to disrupt the set. Damn man, I’ve seen Cyndi frickin’ _Lauper_ handle stage disturbances better than these guys.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Impaler, were you at this show? B/c the band did basically everything you suggested in your first post. The only thing they didn’t do was kick a legless lady off the stage. They had as much ‘control’ of their set as anyone could under the circumstances. If only Cyndi Lauper was there, her deep hatred of homeless double amputees is well documented.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 am
2 things to observe, 12 posts in and crooks is the only one making sense and the West Philly person just wrote a totally West Philly response.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
dd123:
Omar not only has two legs, but he also has half of a third leg and glowing green ooze constantly leaking out of a hollow right eye socket. Oh, and he has super aids with a playful twist of cancer as do his five children; all of whom are growing from a mass on his hunched back.
My point is: a dick is a dick. A show-interrupting, attention-whoring dick should be chided, legs or not. If you can’t handle it – then fine. I won’t criticize you and will likely find the situation funny. However, if you write an open letter whining about an issue that is between the band and the organizers (while making reference to your own magic making) – you should be made the subject of intarweb-flames.
Thank you, though, for reminding me that we’re not in high school [an assumption I would never make after frequent consumption of posts and comments here at Philebz. Is this thread more like finishing school?]
Who said anything about tough or wrestling (physically or verbally), Strawman? Your emphasis on my use of the word “pussy” speaks volumes. As Impaler has been pointing out, a performer needs to have heckler-deflection skills. It appears that the Years were lacking said skills that night. Again, I find it funny – until you post a lame-ass letter like the one above.
Finally, thanks for the clarification on their ‘magic weaving’ line. I just found out about this ‘humor’ thing and I’m still getting acquainted. Why are you so compelled to defend the band, dd? Are you just a fan of the band… or more?
Patricio/dd123:
I’m not from West Philly. In fact I have only lived there 2 years of my life (and 4 years in other parts of Philly since). However, since the Philebro-sphere takes every opportunity to shit on West Philly, I like to flame on the subject. Your “totally West Philly response” comment, Patricio, is a great example of the prejudice towards West Philly typically encountered at this site. Your emphasis on “making sense” is hilarious given the half-baked non-sentence that you barfed up as comment number lucky-13.
Impaler:
“Otherwise, what is that special “cop sense” supposed to kick in telling them “a thousand or so white kids’ mellow is getting harshed by a homeless person.”
Comedy Gold, my friend. See above for clarification on Omar. Seriously though, he is ubiquitous. Just google, “omar west philly.” I’m sure you’ll get plenty of results. First result: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQkdzev-Odw
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:39 am
A few points:
–yes, the lack of security is frightening (it could’ve been way worse than an aggressively enthusiastic homeless woman): and, that is NOT the fault of TCY, as noted previously. Someone seriously dropped the ball, but not the band.
–Regardless of hired security, there was a distinct absence of police presence in Rittenhouse Square that night (an especially beautiful evening, concert or not, which means flocking crowds). That’s pure incompetence on the PPD’s part…not *one* cop?
–TCY did do the best they could given the circumstances…it’s bitterly ironic that these are guys who have extensively played with Daniel Johnston, and they’re now accused of insensitive treatment of an obviously troubled “fan”/or not following the previously mandated policy that any “show-interrupting, attention-whoring dick should be chided, legs or not”.
–TCY’s post was not “whining”: they were psyched for this concert and obviously dismayed that it ended up being not nearly as good as it would have been otherwise. It was an apology, not a complaint. It’s a gross error to characterize it as “a thousand or so white kids’ mellow is getting harshed by a homeless person.” Any jackass who repeatedly disrupted the show would’ve been treated the same.
–”magical”, etc.: self-deprecating humor that some morons don’t seem to get
–What REALLY sucks about this is that such poor logistical management might make it impossible for TCY to do these free public shows anymore. That would be a big loss to the community–both the (HIGH)tax-paying citizens of this city who willingly pay such taxes for quality of life benefits like lovely summer concerts in the park, and the homeless who similarly enjoy good tunes on a great summer night.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Hey Mr and/or Ms 2002:
“it’s bitterly ironic that these are guys who have extensively played with Daniel Johnston, and they’re now accused of insensitive treatment of an obviously troubled “fan””
Translation: Hey look, they play music with a retard, how could they possibly treat another retard insensitively?!?!?
“TCY’s post was not “whining”: they were psyched for this concert and obviously dismayed that it ended up being not nearly as good as it would have been otherwise. It was an apology, not a complaint.”
2 short paragraphs serve as an apology; 3 LARGE paragraphs criticize – or “whine” about – the events as they transpired. You do the math.
“”magical”, etc.: self-deprecating humor that some morons don’t seem to get
I’m glad we have a resident humorologist to translate shitty jokes for us morans – now if only we had some sort of vocabularyologist with the expertise required to impart upon you the idea that equating your art with magic is hardly “self-deprecating.” I’ll check the yellow pages. V is after S, right?
“What REALLY sucks about this is that such poor logistical management might make it impossible for TCY to do these free public shows anymore. That would be a big loss to the community”
Oh teh noes! A mediocre pop band may no longer grace our fair city with free outdoor shows. That’s it. As there certainly not hundreds of local, mediocre pop bands who would gladly take their spot, see if I pay my taxes ever again.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Xerxes, you are aware that free outdoor concerts occur ALL THE TIME in Philly, right? This one was PW-sponsored, so it’s got nothing to do with the Philadelphia tax base (or homeless underclass, to use your dichotomy, bub) you delusionally end up championing and all to do with escort ads. Everyone knows the PW blew it on the security front, TCBY just compounded their vanilla milquetoast flavor all over the place by making fun of their handicapped assailant _days_ after the fact in an attempt to maintain their audience connection, cool-cred or whatever need that prompted them to pass off that note as something that mattered and needed to be said.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I was at this show and didn’t even know this legless lady was on stage. Was just snacking and getting drunk on the grass without a view of the festivities. Both bands sounded pretty sweet though, and this letter made me laugh.
Lots of poison vibes on this thread. You guys all sound nuts!