One of the biggest voices (and smallest bodies) in rock music today belongs to former Life of Agony front man Keith Caputo. After garnering a massive following with the world famous metal outfit, Caputo went solo in 1997 to pursue an alternative – but no less intense – musical direction. The past ten years have seen Caputo record seven albums with a who’s who of industry veterans, including bassist and trumpet player Flea (The Red Hot Chili Peppers), guitarist Craig Ross (Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow), pianist Zac Rae (Fiona Apple, Miley Cyrus, Annie Lennox), producer Martyn Lenoble (Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, The Cult), and mixer Greg Fidelman (Rage Against The Machine, Marilyn Manson, Johnny Cash). On the festival circuit, he has shared stages with titans like Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Björk, David Bowie, Pixies, and Foo Fighters.
With influences ranging from Led Zeppelin and The Doors to Arthur Rimbaud and William S. Burroughs, Caputo is equal parts stalwart rocker and literary outlaw. Whether bellowed or whispered, his lyrics are equally disarming for their soul-baring menace, their palpable alienation, their vulnerability, and their grace. Caputo’s reputation for touching listeners to the very depths of their souls with his poetry and heartrending live performances is well earned – within a single show, he is capable of inciting both arena-sized mosh pits and breathless silence. As evidenced by his two most recent releases – A Fondness For Hometown Scars and Dass-Berdache – Caputo is unafraid to mine new musical territory. Quieter numbers like “Bleed for Something” and “Shivering Leafless and Hollowed-Out” evoke the cinematic stillness of Daniel Lanois, while balls-out rockers like “Devil’s Pride” and “Attic Crawl Space” showcase not only Caputo’s rage but also his taste for eclecticism and unpredictability.
Obsessed with hard truths, Caputo remains an intrepid conquistador of his own pain. Orphaned by heroin-addicted parents, he was forced to grow up in a dark world of poverty, violence and crime. And while themes of abuse and abandonment may seem familiar to those who follow his work, Caputo is innovative enough to shed new light on these subjects with every song that he writes. But as shocking as his lyrical content can sometimes be, the most shocking thing about Caputo is his undying romanticism – his unwavering insistence on seeing the silver lining to every cloud. As Caputo himself says, “From my own feelings of displacement, dissatisfaction and yearning comes a vast sea of compassion.”
Before returning in the studio to record his eighth album, Caputo will play his last European engagements of 2009 with his band, The Sad Eyed Ladies, in support of A Fondness For Hometown Scars. The highlight of this tour will be a unique performance on October 15th, with a 15-piece orchestra at the Kulturekirche, in Cologne, Germany.
