The actor-turned-musician holds a sometimes ignoble position in pop history – even Johnny Depp, who has been known to dabble with guitar, has called them “sickening”. No such qualms need apply to the forthcoming album by Capital Punishment, featuring drummer Ben Stiller – their album Roadkill, to be released by the Brooklyn indie label Captured Tracks, was actually recorded in 1982, making Stiller a musician-turned-actor.
Tracks from their album surfaced online last year, and now Captured Tracks is to give them an official release on vinyl. Stiller spoke about the band on the Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, saying: “I was in a ridiculously weird band, Capital Punishment,” he told Stern. “I was like 15, 16, and my friend from high school, Chris, started this band … I was the drummer.”
The bassist in the group was Peter Swann, now an appellate judge on the Arizona court of appeals. He told the Arizona Republic that although 500 copies of the album were pressed, none were sold. He added that he and Stiller had subsequently formed a rap group, Sucker MCs, but their thunder was stolen by the Beastie Boys. “They were 600 times better than we were,” Swann said.
Last FM describes Capital Punishment, unpromisingly, as “a minimal electronic / no wave / retardo band”.
Captured Tracks has made a reputation for itself with a series of releases from US indie bands, including Diiv, the Soft Moon, Mac DeMarco and Perfect Pussy.
