The Captives (2015)
When the aliens visited Earth they accidentally brought germs that killed off most of humanity. But alien zoologists are trying to make right by conserving the human species through a captive breeding program. The story focuses on one couple: John and Sarah, whom the aliens locked up together to reproduce. John loves Sarah, but she is not interested in him. And Sarah is not sure that humanity ought to be saved.
The Captives is a narrative song cycle. It premiered at Roulette in Brooklyn, NY, April 2, 2015.
Katie Eastburn & Sasha Zamler-Carhart, vocals
Jessica Pavone, bass guitar
Nick Rifken, congas
Jason Cady, modular synth & pedal steel
recorded by Jason Cady & Jeff Cook
mixed by Jeff Cook
photo by Reuben Radding
"Co-curator and mod-synth mastermind Jason Cady's The Captives, meanwhile, was even more committed to being non-serious. The piece is a conversation in alternating songs (static new-wave disco tunes anchored by tinny drum programming) between a human couple forced together by a tyrannical alien species to reproduce. The singers were part of the onstage band, contributing unruly, Remain in Light-style synth blasts when not singing, and an alien appears in a plasticine Halloween-pop-up-store alien mask and gloves. Funny and engaging, it was carried by Cady’s precise, funky arrangements and spirited vocal performances from Vince B. Vincent and Katie Eastburn."
—Winston Cook-Wilson, Pitchfork