5 Questions w/ Bobby Barnett of Captain! We're Sinking

Some bands are just awesome. Lyrically, aesthetically, musically, everything. Scranton, Pennsylvania's Captain! We're Sinking is one of those bands. During my email conversation with guitarist/vocalist Bobby Barnett (who is joined in CWS by fellow guitarist/vocalist Leo Vergnetti, bassist Zack Charette and drummer Bill Orender), he came across as an intelligent, everyday dude who just happens to sing in an awesome band, and that's exactly what you would guess from CWS' brand of folk tinged, minimalist punk. You can (and you should) head over to www.facebook.com/captainweresinking and give them a listen so you can hear for yourself what keeps Bobby's heart beating in 4/4 time.

1.) Please give us the history of Captain! We're Sinking.

Captain, We're Sinking started in 2007, I believe. I met Leo and Zack at different local shows growing up. Leo and I played in a ska band in high school. We both didn't sing in that band, but we wanted to. My brother quit that band, and we realized that we wanted to start a band together and try our luck singing. My brother would drop me off in the South Side of Scranton as he would go to his band practice, and I would walk to where Leo worked by his high school, and we would play acoustic songs in the laundromat. We would strip down to our boxers, do a load of wash, and practice singing and playing acoustic songs. It was a strange time. My friend, Adam, asked me to play a show with his band, Tigers Jaw, and I didn't want to do it alone so I asked Leo, Zack, and my friend, Mike, to play. We wrote about 6 songs in 3 weeks, and from then on it just kept going. We went through drummer changes and weird patches, but we're still here, hating each other more and more every day.

2.) You guys did a photo shoot for High Times. How did that come about? Are you all big marijuana advocates?

Our friend/manager/mother Lisa set that up for us. I don't smoke weed at all. It was kind of strange being a part of it, but it was a lot of fun. They were very friendly, too. I stick to the sauce.

3.)  What bands were you listening to and going to see when you were younger that made you want to be in a band?

It was all local bands. Every now and then, an awesome band would come through Scranton or Wilkes-Barre that we would all go see, but we grew up watching our friends play music. It's disgusting how much talent has come from that area. The bands that completely changed my life were Bob and the Sagets and Lester. They were two ska bands from Scranton that I looked up to. They made me want to

play music.

4.)  You guys have released music on almost every format. Which one are you most attached to, and how do you plan to release music in the future? How has the changing climate in album sales affected CWS?

Bill and I really enjoy vinyl. Its fun picking up a record and putting it on and listening to all of side A then flipping to side B. For me, it makes me get a better feel for the whole album then just clicking on a song and pressing skip if I want to get through the album. We love putting out records. I want to put out a tape that goes with our new album with demos and acoustic versions because I also love tapes. The iPod adapter in my car breaks all the time, and the only tapes I have are a Mountain Goats tape (demos from their album "All Eternals Deck") and Brain Drain by the Ramones. Now I love the Ramones, but that album is fucking awful. Where was I? So lets see, I love Vinyl, and tapes. CD's are great, too, but the only time I would listen to a CD is in my car, and my CD player broke so I don't really listen to CD's anymore. We will always release it both ways, though. Vinyl and digital. We haven't really been affected by CD sales because no one really buys our CD's! Everything we have is up for free download anyway. Download it!

5.)  What does CWS have planned for the future?

Right now, we are writing an album. It's taking a little longer than we thought. We are a slow moving band. That's really it, as of now. Once that is done, I guess we'll see where we're at. Tours and stuff will follow. Thanks for the interview! Sorry for the bad grammar and misspellings.