Arrival Point
This year the band is scheduled to play their second official showcase. If all goes according to plan, they’ll be playing on the top floor of the Hilton Garden Inn on Thursday, March 15, at 9:00 p.m.
The band played unofficially in 2010 and landed an official showcase in 2011, but the Strokes decided to make their big comeback at the same time as Capybara’s first official showcase. Harrison says no more than 20 people showed up to the show. “It was just weird. It was kind of bittersweet that you get your official invite, and then you realize it’s insane, nonstop hustle and bustle,” says Harrison. “You think of an official invitation to a festival like SXSW as some type of arrival point, and turns out that, just like everything else, there’s still a lot of factors that have to meet up to make a good and special thing happen.”
Diving In
It’s safe to say some special things did in fact happen since that performance at SXSW. The band got to work on their latest album, Dave Drusky, which has been receiving glowing reviews. The band also lined up several successful live shows, but none more important than the one they pulled off at Middle of the Map Fest last year.
Daniel Johnston was one of the main headliners at the event, and Capybara was called upon to be his backing band. “We practiced that morning, not with him really, just together,” says Harrison. “I guess the best things are kind of like that, though. You have no idea until it seems like it’s too late, and you try to risk figuring it out and it ends up being really good.”
In the end, the set left much of the audience wrought with emotion. It was a once-in-a-lifetime performance that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
Even with this latest album release, Harrison says the band’s strength is in their songwriting, and they plan to keep pushing forward and continue to write music. Now, the band has to just find that familiar rhythm again. “When you’re ready to release an album, being together all the time isn’t something that needs to happen. You just kind of have to figure out the balance between your personal life and the way that you’re spending your creative energy,” says Harrison. “You have to read the signs right and know when to dive into it again.”
Watch Capybara dive into it again at the Riot Room in KC on Friday and at the Middle of the Map Fest, April 5-6.