Feature / Interviews
Capillary Action

Words: Matt • Posted pre-2010

Jonathan Pfeffer: A man who needs no introduction.

Scene Point Blank: State your name and your role in Capillary Action (!)

Jonathan: My name is Jon and I am Capillary Action. I would also like to state that Matt Andrews and I have a half Puerto Rican/half Sasquatch lovechild named Hector.

 

Scene Point Blank: Intriguing. How did you get started playing music?

 

Jonathan: My mom made me pick up an instrument in 3rd grade, so I chose the cello because...I'm not sure why exactly. I played the cello for a few months and quickly became bored with it. She wouldn't let me off the hook, so I picked up the saxophone and the cycle continued. She told me I had to pick another instrument and, long story short, I've been playing guitar for the last 6 or 7 years. Wow has it really been that long?

 

Scene Point Blank: Yes Jon, yes it has. So when did you actually start writing the music that became Capillary Action?

 

Jonathan: Around late 2002.

 

Scene Point Blank: How would you describe Capillary Action's sound?

 

Jonathan: Our old drummer Jeff described the music as "abstract instrumental pop" and I kind of find it fitting, though I can't explain why. I guess I like it because it's pretty open to interpretation. I've heard the term "prog" thrown a lot when describing my music but I feel my stuff isn't as academic as the term "prog" might imply. How would you describe the music, Matt?

 

Scene Point Blank: Hm.. I'll get back to you on that. Where did the name come from?

 

Jonathan: The project was originally called Noiseland Arcade but that name was apparently taken by a fictitious side project featuring Buzz Osbourne from the Melvins. So, late one night, I decided that I needed a new name so I randomly did a search for 'fluid dynamics' and came across 'capillary action.' I thought the name had a nice ring to it and no discernible flavor that would give away my artistic intentions (as opposed to "angry beavers throwing onions" or "goreblood combustication") so I ran with it. Do you like it? (aside) Oh man, I had tofu burrito casserole for lunch. My stomach is exploding.

 

Scene Point Blank: It's definitely better than a Simpsons reference. What about the record name 'Fragments'? Was that intended as a description of what the music is?

 

Jonathan: Yeah, for the most part. One of the underlying intentions behind this record was to see if I could get away with mashing together a bunch of distinct parts without any sort of explanation. At the time I thought I was being pretty clever but looking back on it now, it wasn't a particularly original concept and one that certainly had a lot of flaws. I feel like the abrupt, ADD sort of songwriting style is definitely my niche to a certain degree, but I'm trying to either refine that formula or break away completely from that in the songs I'm writing now.

Scene Point Blank: So did you envision touring with a band at first, or was it always going to be just you?

 

Jonathan: I didn't really envision anything at first, to be quite honest. This all started when I figured out that I could make mp3s of my own music (I'd been recording on a four-track and a boombox up to that point) by plugging my guitar into the mic-line output on the back of my computer and playing through Windows Sound Recorder. I had a huge stockpile of riffs and little musical ideas floating around that I hadn't recorded, so I'd just sort of jam on some riff and then take it from there. "Fragments" is simply the product of me improvising at ungodly hours of the morning using Windows Sound Recorder. I didn't start seriously thinking about playing live until I started recording the album in late 2003.

 

Related features

The Planet Smashers

One Question Interviews • July 23, 2025

Matt Smasher (The Planet Smashers) SPB: How did the collabs on the new album come to be? Did you reach out to the artist with a specific idea, or just ask “hey is there something you want to do here?” Matt: It started out super simple, just a “would you … Read more

Fortitude Valley

One Question Interviews • July 22, 2025

Laura (Fortitude Valley) SPB: What do you remember, or alternately what stands out the most, about playing the first live show with Fortitude Valley? Laura: It was January 2020, and I remember being very nervous about having to talk to the crowd and being the front person -- something that … Read more

City Speak

One Question Interviews • July 21, 2025

Cornelius (City Speak – bass / Keep it a Secret Records) SPB What is the longest (in terms of time) tour that you have ever been on? Would you do it again? Cornelius: We in City Speak don't do long tours -- work, pets, life, the usual. The longest we've … Read more

God Bullies

One Question Interviews • July 16, 2025

Mike Hard (God Bullies) SPB: Have you played any familiar locations that survived since your last tour and, if so, what struck you on revising them? If not, is there a city or highway that gave similar "flashbacks" or surprises? Hard: The first city that comes to mind is Dubuque … Read more

Cheap Fix

One Question Interviews • July 14, 2025

Cheap Fix SPB: What’s the most MacGyver-esque workaround you’ve made to connect different bits of equipment? Chad Nichols (guitar/vocals): You'd think with a name like Cheap Fix, we'd be all over this question. But I'm the least handy of the band members, so I've got next to nothing. All my … Read more

Related news

Capillary Action In Accident

Posted in Bands on February 28, 2008

Joe Lally & Capillary Action Robbed In S.F.

Posted in Breaking News on November 16, 2007

Joe Lally (Fugazi) / Capillary Action Tourdates

Posted in Tours on January 2, 2007

Related reviews

Capillary Action

So Embarrassing
Pangaea (2008)

There is a small set of musicians that I would consider to be more than just your average artist. When it comes to composing music, the arrangement and execution of these pieces, as one is a feat that only the most talented of individuals can excel at. The most obvious choice to me is Mike Patton. Anyone that has witnessed … Read more

Capillary Action

Fragments
Pangaea Recordings (2004)

I've heard that people who review music are failed musicians. This is not the case with Capillary Action, whose composer/music maker/sometime music critic Jonathan Pfeffer is known to masturbate frequently while listening to The Fucking Champs, Pinback, Thelonious Monk and The Red Light Sting. Pfeffer's ejaculation from these sessions created Fragments, a ten song affair between jazz, metal, ambience, rock, … Read more

More from this section

Arms Aloft

Interviews • June 23, 2025

Remember Election Day 2024? Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you've blocked it out. That's fair, but there was one pleasant surprise that day: a new EP from Wisconsin's Arms Aloft. It took a while to claw out of the darkness in November, then Year End 2024 coverage took over the Scene … Read more

Ilya Arbatman (Rotary Club)

Book store co-owner

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • May 13, 2025

There are a lot of misconceptions about the life of a musician. Most musicians have day jobs – and not just to pay the bills. Jobs provide new challenges, personal fulfillment and, yes, some rent or gas money. How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative … Read more

Chuck Ragan

Fly fishing tour guide

Interviews / Don't Quit Your Day Job • April 14, 2025

How an artist spends their time by day will influence the creative process at night. In Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Scene Point Blank looks at how musicians split their time, and how their careers influence their music (or how their music provides escape). In this edition, we caught up … Read more