Pop-Punk Nostalgia | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Pop-Punk Nostalgia

Bend's Capture the Flag reunites for one show

click to enlarge Pop-Punk Nostalgia
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Bend's former purveyors of pop-punk, Capture the Flag, get back together for one night only at the Domino Room 5/10.

You may have varying opinions on the pop-punk genre, but Bend's Capture the Flag loves everything about it—the catchy hooks, the lyrics, the overall sound.

"The first pop punk album I heard was 'Dookie' by Green Day," Capture the Flag's Johnny Davis says. "I'd play in this metal band, but would be listening to pop-punk. I loved Dashboard Confessional, I knew how to play all the songs. I felt like I was playing heavy music because I liked the energy of it and the technicality, but my heart was always in pop punk and emo music."

The band started in Bend in the late 2000s, though Davis and bandmates Zach Nance and Mikee Snyder have known each other since 7th grade. Capture the Flag made a name for themselves, playing more than 250 shows in 39 states on eight DIY tours before breaking up.

"It was madness at the end," Nance says. "There was a loss of trust."

"We were touring a lot and we were all living in a warehouse together," Davis recalls. "We'd bought a bus and a trailer to tour in and it was a rock 'n' roll circus. It was really good for a while—we had a real manager and were touring non-stop; we'd just put out a new album. I just think the substance abuse got out of hand. It was really cliché in what was happening, each thing snowballed until it was too much. The bus was disgusting."

Davis, now owner and talent buyer for Red Light Productions, plans concerts for a living. When he found out Snyder would be returning to Bend from his home in Austin, Texas, Davis decided to throw together an all-acoustic reunion show in February.

"We had a long break to shake off anything and do our own things for a while. That's the reason you start playing music to begin with." —Johnny Davis

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"At least for me, with the band, it never worked subbing in a person," Davis says. "It's the chemistry of the band and that's why you want to do it. It was super fun and crazy and spontaneous."

The February show at the Astro Lounge was a hit and the guys couldn't wait to play together again. Davis decided to bring an electric performance by Capture the Flag to life during the culmination of several big life events. Within the next week, Davis turns 30 and their buddy Colton gets married—which means Snyder will be in town to celebrate both events.

Sticking in the vein of pop-punk nostalgia, entry to the show is $5 and two cans of food. Davis says the canned food drive and the $5 price tag reminds him of the group's younger days. After each show they'd drop off 150 to 200 cans of food to a local shelter—something Davis is excited to bring back.

Capture the Flag fans and lovers of pop-punk can come reminisce and rock out with the band Thursday, but don't expect a comeback, necessarily. Davis and Nance say these gigs have been for fun, but a full return for the band—and the creation of new material—isn't on the agenda yet.

"For the most part, it's just for fun because we all love playing music," Davis says. "We had a long break to shake off anything and do our own things for a while. That's the reason you start playing music to begin with."

Capture the Flag
Thurs., May 10. 8pm
Domino Room
51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend
$5 + 2 cans of food or $10

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