That Captain
Folk ‘n Reggae born in Texas, taken on the road, and relocated to Humboldt County, California. Consisting of two dreads, a jock, and a couple hippies, That Captain pours their heart and soul into their very own special blend of roots-reggae, bluegrass, and trippy good times music.
That Captain is not the typical American reggae band. With an upbeat tempo and standout harmonies, they deliver a lively show similar to the classic reggae and calypso artists of the Caribbean islands. That is, until they play one of their rowdy beer-guzzling folk songs. Yes, reggae and folk. That Captain is from Texas and their front-man Marc Borde (born in Trinidad and raised in Texas) has managed to authentically blend the genres. Influenced from a wide range of bands (Bob Marley, Sizzla, Sublime, Willie Nelson, Avett Brothers, The Devil Makes Three, and more…) and experiences (surfing, touring by sailboat, romances, hard work, hard partying, etc.), That Captain has created a diverse catalog of original songs with meaningful lyrics.
The three piece “core” consists of guitar, bass, and drums, but the drummer (Matthew Beard) stands up and doesn’t have a hi-hat, cymbols, or toms – just kick drum, snare, and shakers – and it works. He also sings harmonies while Marc sings lead and strums guitar. The original bassist (Brent Wideman) parted ways with the band in 2016 and That Captain picked up Gregory Moreno, an accomplished reggae musician from Austin, TX, who plays the bass and sings harmonies. After performing at a show in Las Vegas, That Captain ran into some old friends from Texas that were attending a Grateful Dead concert: Blake Plsek (from “The Crew” that did Marc’s sailboat tour, and Mama Tried) joined the band playing banjo, bongos, cajon, percussion, and singing harmonies. Jbone White joined the band playing lead guitar and singing harmonies. Both Blake and Jbone also brought their world class tie-dying talents to the merchandise table, making things much more colorful.
That Captain recorded and self-released demo CD “Demo and Dub” in late 2015 before embarking on their first tour of the Southwest region of the USA. While in California, That Captain set up camp at Music Pharm in San Diego, where they became part of Southern California’s large reggae community and prepared for recording new material. In December 2015 That Captain recorded their EP “Miles and Smiles” in Austin, Texas. Their Miles and Smiles tour began in January 2016 and included repeat performances at popular venues on the West Coast, East Coast, Gulf Coast, and Rocky Mountain region of the USA.
After the tour ended in August 2016, That Captain headed back to the studio in Austin, TX to begin recording their debut double-length album.
After a few sessions, the decision was made to relocate the band to Humboldt County, CA, where there would be less distractions and more freedom for recording.
Now spending most of their time in a studio deep in the mountains of Northern California, That Captain is focusing on their new recordings.
They are making sure to take the time needed to produce an epic album and aren’t taking any short-cuts.
The album is was released July, 2017 and a National tour followed.
Fans should be on the lookout for new singles and music video releases from That Captain as well as sneak peaks and live footage from the studio!
