Cap'n Jazz were an American emo/punk band formed in the early 1990's in Buffalo Grove, IL by high school friends Tim Kinsella (vocals), Victor Villareal (guitar), and Sam Zurick (bass), along with Tim's younger brother Mike (drums). The band released a couple of EPs and appeared on several local compilations before adding Milwaukee native Davey von Bohlen on second guitar in 1994. The group released their lone LP in the spring of 1995 and broke up while on tour later than summer. Members would continue music in bands like The Promise Ring, Joan Of Arc and American Football.
Fueled by some of the members post-Cap'n Jazz activities, interest in the band grew after their break up and in 1998 Jade Tree Records compiled most of their recordings (which were all out of print) on to a double-disc release.
In 2001, the original foursome of Mike, Tim, Victor, and Sam reunited and cut an album under the moniker "Owls" for Jade Tree.
In 2010, the band reunited for a series of live shows around Chicago, as well as a short, out of state tour. The group reunited for a few shows again in 2017 and 2024, with Mike and Tim's cousin, Nate, filling in for Davey vonBohlen, who declined to participate.
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November 20, 2025
Wiltern Theatre
Los Angeles, California, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
Instrumental; Tim Kinsella on french horn2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
November 19, 2025
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, California, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
November 17, 2025
Mohawk
Austin, Texas, United StatesNovember 15, 2025
Summit Music Hall
Denver, Colorado, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. ¡Qué Suerté!
4. Puddle Splashers
November 11, 2025
Club Chocolate
Santiago, Región Metropolitana, ChileCap’n Jazz’s first show in Chile.
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
November 10, 2025
Niceto Club
Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
November 8, 2025
Cine Joia
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 30, 2025
The Earl
Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesJuly 29, 2025
The Earl
Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesSetlist incomplete
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
1. Waiting Room(Fugazi cover)
Sing-a-long with no instruments2. Oh Messy Life
Sing-a-long with only drums1. Oh Messy Life
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 27, 2025
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Portland, Oregon, United StatesSetlist incomplete and out of order
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Forget Who We Are
6. Ooh Do I Love You
7. Bluegrassish
8. Little League
9. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
10. Planet Shhh
11. Oh Messy Life
12. Flashpoint: Catheter
13. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
14. Puddle Splashers
July 25, 2025
Neumos
Seattle, Washington, United StatesSetlist out of order
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 14, 2025
Black Cat
Washington, Washington, D.C., United StatesShow rescheduled from 7/9/25
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 13, 2025
Warsaw
Brooklyn, New York, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Olerud
4. Forget Who We Are
5. Bluegrassish
6. The Sands Have Turned Purple
7. Yes, I Am Talking to You
8. Planet Shhh
9. Tokyo
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. ¡Qué Suerté!
14. Puddle Splashers
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Oh Messy Life
4. Ooh Do I Love You
July 12, 2025
Warsaw
Brooklyn, New York, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 11, 2025
Royale
Boston, Massachusetts, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 10, 2025
Union Transfer
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
July 6, 2025
Thalia Hall
Chicago, Illinois, United States1. ¡Qué Suerté!
2. In the Clear
3. Olerud
4. Forget Who We Are
5. Basil's Kite
6. Yes, I Am Talking to You
7. Planet Shhh
8. Tokyo
9. Little League
10. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
11. Precious
12. The Sands Have Turned Purple
13. Bluegrassish
14. Puddle Splashers
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Oh Messy Life
4. Ooh Do I Love You
July 5, 2025
Thalia Hall
Chicago, Illinois, United States1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
Bob Nanna came out to sing the line “I’m dying to tell you I’m dying.”4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Precious
13. Planet Shhh
14. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
June 14, 2025
Parque da Cidade do Porto
Porto, Porto, PortugalAs per written setlist
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
12. Planet Shhh
13. Oh Messy Life
14. Flashpoint: Catheter
15. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
16. Puddle Splashers
17. ¡Qué Suerté!
June 12, 2025
Thekla
Bristol, England, United KingdomPrecious was on the setlist after For Nate's Brother but was skipped to make up time
1. Basil's Kite
2. In the Clear
3. Yes, I Am Talking to You
4. The Sands Have Turned Purple
5. Ooh Do I Love You
6. Tokyo
7. Olerud
8. Forget Who We Are
9. Bluegrassish
10. Little League
11. For Nate's Brother Whose Name I Never Knew or Can't Remember(Owls cover)
Tim messed up, band restarted the song from the top12. Planet Shhh
13. Oh Messy Life
1. Flashpoint: Catheter
2. Take On Me(a‐ha cover)
Tim mostly let the crowd sing this one3. Puddle Splashers
4. ¡Qué Suerté!
Cap'n Jazz has released 5+ albums. Some of their notable releases include Analphabetapolothology, Analphabetapolothology, Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Balloon Sports, Cards In The Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We've Slipped On, And Egg Shells We've Tippy Toed Over. Explore their complete discography on this page.
Some of Cap'n Jazz's most popular tracks include Oh Messy Life, Little League, Puddle Splashers, Basil's Kite, Take On Me. Listen to these songs and discover more from their extensive catalog.
Cap'n Jazz were an American emo/punk band formed in the early 1990's in Buffalo Grove, IL by high school friends Tim Kinsella (vocals), Victor Villareal (guitar), and Sam Zurick (bass), along with Tim... Read the full biography on this page.
You can find Cap'n Jazz vinyl records and merchandise on eBay. We feature a curated selection of vinyl releases and collectibles available for purchase.
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