By the time Captain Jack PH stepped onto the Bay Lounge stage after an 8-month silence, something electric surged through the room. The kind of spark that tells you: this isn’t just a gig. This is a reckoning.

The amps buzzed. Lights flared. The pit breathed in sync. And then—chaos. The beautiful kind.

“Grabe ‘yon,” bassist Evredt says, that memory still pulsing in his voice. “We came back with a bang.”

But to understand the fire that night, you have to trace it back—to frustration, to breakups, to burned-out riffs and broken spirits.

How It All Began: From Frustration to Fire

Captain Jack PH wasn’t built in a studio with a marketing plan. It was forged in the middle of musical heartbreak.

“Nagsimula ‘to nung nag-reunion kami ng dati kong banda sa college,” shares Genesis, Capjack’s founding guitarist. “May ilang gigs din kami, pero unti-unting nawala ‘yung members. Dumating sa point na nawalan ako ng amor.”

So he jammed with a former student—Evredt. Chemistry sparked. “Bisig” was born. The bones of something new.

But the moment that truly lit the fuse? A riff. His riff. Rejected and laughed at by his old band.

“Obra ko ‘yon,” Genesis recalls. “Nasaktan ako.”

So he stopped sharing. Stopped caring. Until, in December 2020, something shifted. He sent a message to EL—his bandmate from 2007.

“7 years na akong ‘di humawak ng drums,” EL said.

“Pero ang sabi lang niya—‘Kaya mo ‘yan. I bilib in u,’” EL grins.

That was the start. Soon after, Gabs, Carlos, and a new sound formed the skeleton of what we now call Captain Jack PH.

What’s in a Name? GCs, Chaos, and a Bit of Dyak

The name? It’s as chaotic and inside-jokey as the band itself.

“Nag-umpisa sa pangalan ng GC namin,” Genesis laughs. “Una: ‘Pradyek Dyak’, tapos naging ‘Project: Master’. Mouthful masyado. Kaya naging Captain Jack, tapos PH kasi Pinoy kami. Mas madali pa, ‘Capjack’!”

He adds with a grin: “Kayo na lang mag-link sa mga salitang ‘Dyak’, ‘Master’, at ‘Jack’. Malalaki na kayo.”

Finding the Groove

From day one, Capjack operated more like a workshop than a band. Ideas bounced, shaped, sharpened in digital spaces.

“Usually may magpapasa ng riff sa GC,” Genesis explains. “Kung sino yung nagsulat, siya ang director ng kanta.”

It’s less jam, more relay—every member adding grit and soul until the song feels undeniably them.

And what sets them apart? The why.

“Karamihan ng kanta namin tungkol sa depression, addiction,” Evredt shares. “Gusto naming iparamdam sa mga tao—hindi sila nag-iisa.”

Their songs hit hard. They linger. They hug your bruises and scream with you into the void.

As someone who’s stood in that pit, arms in the air, voice cracked—I can tell you: Capjack doesn’t just play music. They bleed it.

From Crushes to Calling

Genesis picked up the guitar for a girl. What he found instead was a lifelong devotion.

EL found the drums through ska, through bands that made him push his limits. Even after years away from the kit, the rhythm never left his bones.

“Simula nung nadala ako sa jam session ng mga kaklase ko, alam ko na,” Genesis says. “Mas masaya pala tumugtog kapag may kasama.”

New Blood

When Stephen got a message from Genesis over Messenger, he was confused, flattered, and curious.

“Nagtaka ako paano nila ako natunton,” he laughs. “Pero nung pinakinggan ko ‘yung Spotify nila, na-excite ako. Maganda ‘yung mga kanta, kaya sinipra ko na.”

And just like that—he was in. Jamming. Catching up. Absorbing riffs like a sponge.

“Masaya sila kasama, makulit yung tropa pero seryoso sa musika. Highlight talaga? Inuman nights!”

His guitar DNA—Slash, Perf De Castro, The Beatles—fit perfectly into Capjack’s grunge-meets-metal blend.

Gig Moments to Remember

There’s the EP launch in Pampanga. “Lasing na kami ni EL bago pa sumampa,” Genesis laughs. “Pagbaba, sinabon kami ni Evredt!”

And then there was GrooveGrid in 2023.

“Konti lang nakakakilala sakin,” EL remembers. “Naka-tsinelas pa ako. Akala nila nanonood lang ako. Hindi nila alam—ako ang drummer ng Captain Jack!”

But maybe the most magical moment? Northern Lads’ album launch.

“Parang walang nawala,” EL smiles. “Buong circle naramdaman namin ‘yung support.”

Beyond Just Music

Their songs are confessions. A cry for solidarity. An outstretched hand in the darkness.

But Genesis won’t tell you what to feel.

“Music is subjective. Ayokong ipaliwanag masyado. Baka mawala ‘yung magic.”

Who They’d Share the Stage With

Given the chance?

“Mr. Big,” Genesis grins. “Gusto ko lang i-kiss si Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, at Eric Martin. Local? Si Tito Ebe Dancel… sige, kiss ko na rin siya.”

The Fire Never Left

After eight months of stillness, the band is burning brighter than ever.

“Naglalagablab ulit ang passion ko,” Genesis says. “Ang konti pa ng kanta namin. Kailangan dagdagan.”

Jhaye, their frontman, sums it up best:

“Bawat gig, masaya kaming pinagmamalaki ang talento ng bawat isa sa amin.”

What’s Next?

So what can we expect from Captain Jack PH?

“More music, more memes, more gigs,” says Evredt. “Malay niyo, album na ‘yan.”

And Genesis? He leaves us with a cliffhanger:

“Third Quarter 2025.”

That’s all he’ll say. And honestly? That’s all we need.

Until then, I’ll be right here—front row, fists raised, screaming every lyric like it was my own. Because if you’ve ever stood in the middle of a Capjack pit, you know: this isn’t just a band. This is home. \m/