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Captain Coconut Is:
Daniel Knobler (guitar)
Zack Rosen (electric fretless bass)
Matt Porter (keys)
Mike Mitchell (drums)
Matt Chiasson (tenor sax)
Jon Saraga (trumpet)
Danny Rivera (bari sax)
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In their fourth year on the scene, NYC funk powerhouse Captain Coconut has played major venues in the city and elsewhere, including CBGBs, the Cutting Room, Sullivan Hall, Canal Room, Mo Pitkin's, the Mean Fiddler, Piano's, the Knitting Factory, and The Bowery Poetry Club. They've opened for Eric Krasno and Adam Deitch at Scenic in downtown New York, and opened for percussion master Bill Summers and his all-star band at the Blue Nile during New Orleans JazzFest 2006. They continue to gig all the time, and are currently recording their second independently produced album.
The band has also played events for a variety of clients at venues including the Museum of Modern Art, 2nd Avenue Street Fair, Hunter College, the Boys & Girls Club of Kingston, Lehman College, Wesleyan University, the National Convention of Oral Surgeons in Washington, DC, and Gracie Mansion in New York, where they opened for a speech by Mayor Bloomberg.
Captain Coconut has also won many competitions in the New York music scene. In 2007, they were selected as the winner of Going.com's NYC Band Showcase. They won NYU's Battle of the Bands 2008, and are currently finalists in the Bambu Band of the Year Competition. Recently, they also were selected by Digital Cafe Tour as one of the band's in their Live 2.0 competition to receive a fully produced video of the band playing live from a downtown NY club.
Their influences range from the classic records of the ‘60s and ‘70s to the fresh talent in today’s scene, and include the city of New Orleans, Derek Trucks and his band, Lettuce, Stax Records, the Allman Brothers, Miles Davis, Brian Seeger, Robert Walter, John Scofield, Tower of Power, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Jimmy McGriff, Dr. John, Adam Deitch, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock, Maceo Parker, and other pioneers of jazz, funk and soul music. It doesn’t stop there; Captain Coconut has an ever growing original songbook, forging the future of funk.
The band is unsigned but very busy. All members are in school at a variety of locations; Dan Knobler and Matt Porter attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts; Mike Mitchell, Matt Chiasson, and Danny Rivera attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York City; Jon the Jazz Studies program at SUNY Purchase, and Zack at Wesleyan University.
In June of 2007, Captain Coconut released their first album, Shoop! Entirely self produced and released, the disc features 8 original tracks recorded in the band's home studio in NYC. New Orleans’ OffBeat Magazine said of the CD, "The two most impressive things about the album are the exceptionally good songwriting, especially guitarist Dan Knobler’s numbers, and the airtight, stop-and-go-on-a-dime arrangements. For a young band, these kids really play together as a unit.”
The Captain Coconut Funk Orchestra debuted in November of 2007 at the Bowery Poetry Club. The twelve-piece ensemble, complete with eight horns (4 saxes, 2 trumpet, trombone & tuba) also featured the fabulous Emily Elbert on vocals. Guitarist Dan Knobler booked and produced two nights at the Bowery Poetry Club, showcasing not only the Funk Orchestra but other great local bands including Say Hello to Symphony, The Northern, and The Powder Kegs. Music and video clips are on our Media page, and YouTube Channel.
The new album, "Everybody's Business," will be an immense step forward for Captain Coconut, both in terms of the quality of the music, and the quality of the recording. All the tracks have been laid down in Dan Knobler's home studio, and are currently being mixed and finalized.
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