Bio Full Biography »

On top of fronting the melodic pop-punk quintet of Lagwagon, vocalist and guitarist Joey Cape also moonlights as the frontman for Bad Astronaut. Accompanied by former Nerf Herder and Swingin' Utters bassist Marko 72 (also of Sugarcult) and Lagwagon drummer Derrick Plourde, this indie rock three-piece debuted in their hometown of Santa Barbara in early 2000. With their polished but mature and complex presence that resembles Cape's full-time gig, Bad Astronaut released their first EP, Acrophobe, courtesy of Honest Don's Records in early 2001. A split with Armchair Martian followed later in the year through Owned and Operated before the band released Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem in fall 2002. By that release, Bad Astronaut had inflated to seven members, now including Angus Cooke (cello, guitar, percussion), Todd Capps (piano), Thom Flowers (guitar), and Jonathan Cox (programming). Work on the band's third album occurred off and on over the next several years, but when Plourde sadly...