Unsigned Spotlight: Ship Captain Crews

October 10, 2014 Jordan Mohler

Ship Captain Crews are an independent rock band from the south suburbs of Chicago.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

(Roy Coghill - Bass)
(Ben Darling - Guitar)
(Roger Alexander Moreno - Microphone)
(Michael Reda - Drums)
(Angelo Sakellaropoulos - Guitar)

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Ship Captain Crew? How long has the band been around?

Roger and Mike have been playing in various bands together for 9 years. They started Ship Captain Crew in 2010 after meeting some of the other members at an Attack Attack show (super lame, we know).

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

We had our first show booked at the Lighthouse in Manhattan, IL (not a cool place), and the band needed a name. Mike chose the name Ship Captain Crew, a dice game, from his cousin Earl that would play people at St. Patrick’s day parties on the Southside of Chicago. No matter whether he won or lost, he always made friends. The band hated the name at first, but have now embraced it as a symbol of their refusal to conform to expectations.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Roger writes the lyrics and melody, but the band writes the songs all together. His lyrics focus mainly on healing & personal growth, while exploring relationships that don’t fit the typical boy/girl breakup story. His words are also laced with references to mysticism and ancient wisdom such as alchemy and clairvoyance.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

The Cab, Say Anything, Modern Baseball, The Get Up Kids, Into it. Over it, Real Friends.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

We grew up around a great local venue called Mojoe’s where a lot of bands like Fall Out Boy, The Devil Wears Prada, and You, Me & Everyone We Know got a huge start during the peak of the Myspace days. Also having friends in bands like the Fastest Kid Alive inspired us to form a band of our own and start touring.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

We all have different ways to prep before a show. But before we go to the studio to record, we always, ALWAYS get Tornados from Speedway (Roller Grill treats stuffed w/ meats & cheeses). We know they’re awful and have barely any nutrition and usually give everyone the shits. But we did it the first time and ever since it has been a feat of strength.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Probably recording a music video for “Notebooks” with our good friend Jay Galbreath and releasing “House of Mercury”, five songs that are truly the sum of our collective hearts and minds.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Present? Probably Knuckle Puck and Real Friends, as they are good friends of ours and literally from the same suburb of Chicago. Past? Somebody really rowdy & weird like Motorhead or T-Rex or somebody really huge like The Who or The Cure.

Is there anything else you would like to add?