By DAN ARMONAITIS
Jordan Caparell had been anticipating the arrival of Friday, April 3 for quite some time.
REdEFIND, the veteran Upstate band he joined about seven months ago as its new lead vocalist, was to have celebrated the release of its latest EP with a concert that night at The Radio Room in Greenville. Instead, because of social distancing measures related to the coronavirus pandemic, it will have to do so without the show.
“It was a huge letdown, for sure,” Caparell said of the postponed release concert. “It was going to be a big party. There were going to be a lot of people there. I think we could have probably sold the place out. We were definitely pumped.”
The new EP, “Let’s Party,” is the first REdEFIND recording with Caparell on lead vocals. It features five songs, including the spirited title track, for which a professional video was produced and is also premiering on April 3.
“It’s funny because when we first wrote that song, I didn’t like it,” Caparell said. “But now it’s become one of my favorites. It’s just a way of life; you know, life’s a party. And, at a party, there’s no religion, there’s no race, there’s no gender, there’s nothing. It’s just people coming together and having a fun time, and that’s what the whole party thing’s about.”
REdEFIND, whose members also include Drew Porter on bass/vocals, Drucipher on guitar and Dustan Snow on drums, is noted for its high-energy live shows. Even before joining the band, Caparell had been a fan of its pulverizing mix of nu-metal and hardcore that’s tinged with elements of hip-hop.
“There’s actually a recording of me onstage, singing (and) screaming with the old vocalist, Branden (Knapp) a long time ago,” Caparell said. “That was probably five years ago in Simpsonville, and I’d seen them a couple of other times too, so I already kind of knew their groove.
“I knew that they were different, and that’s something that was really the deciding factor in me joining the band. I didn’t want to just play the same stuff that you hear everywhere.”
The new EP was recorded in Hendersonville, N.C., at Exodian Studios, which is run by Zach Dufort and Brett Jorgensen, whose band Fractured Frames, was among those scheduled to play REdEFIND’s release concert at The Radio Room.
Caparell said his bandmates in REdEFIND had already laid down guitar, bass and drum tracks for the five songs on the EP before he became involved.
“It was the easiest thing ever because I had these perfectly mastered songs without lyrics that I could just go home and put on my headphones and listen to or play throughout the house,” Caparell said. “And then I just came up with lyrics and added my vocals in the studio.”
Caparell’s previous music experience includes having been in an Upstate-based band called A Mile at Sea, which played some shows with REdEFIND several years ago. Lately, though, he’d been mostly recording solo acoustic material in his own home.
“I draw from so many different things,” Caparell said. “I can sit there and listen to Young Dolph, which is like straight trap/gangsta rap music, and then I can turn around and listen to something like City and Colour, which is acoustic emo indie music.
“So, that’s another thing I do, but REdEFIND is my main focus now. The acoustic stuff is cool, but it doesn’t get the aggression out like hardcore stuff does. I can listen to soft stuff and rap music all day, but I would rather go to a metal show. If I had to see it live, that’s what I want to go see because you can feel the energy, and that’s what I like about REdEFIND.”
Caparell said he also enjoys the camaraderie he feels with his new bandmates.
“We’ve all been saying it’s ridiculous how much we’ve clicked,” he explained. “I mean, we’ve all known each other for a long time, but to actually be in a band together and have it click like it has, that’s all you can ask for. Some people will have their band practice and then everybody just leaves, but that’s not us. We sit around and talk and have a good time and make sure that everybody’s happy with what we’re doing.
“So, I see a lot of good things in the future for this band. Of course, right now, we’re just waiting to see what happens (with the coronavirus crisis), but before all this, we were trying to set up a tour of some type, maybe up the East Coast.”
Whenever REdEFIND does return to the stage, Caparell promises it will be an unforgettable experience, not only for the band but also those in attendance.
“It’s going to be bigger than what we thought it was going to be originally,” Caparell said. “It’s going to be a night of really good chaos — not like evil chaos but constructive chaos. It’s going to be awesome.”
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