Javier Andrés Weyler (born 3 July 1975) is an Argentine-born Venezuelan-English drummer, best known as a member of
Stereophonics
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley, Wales. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zind ...
from 2004 to 2012. He was the drummer in the Venezuelan band Claroscuro for over nine years until he left the country in 2001 to study
audio engineering
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
* Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
in London. In 2008 he released his first solo album, ''Lagrima'', under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
of Capitan Melao.
Career
Weyler was born in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, before moving with his family to
Caracas
Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, where he learned music and developed his early career as a drummer.
1992–2004: Claroscuro and audio engineering
Weyler was given his first drum kit at the age of thirteen by his father's band drummer and was taught how to play them by Venezuelan drummer
Jose Mato. In January 1992, he set up his first band, Claroscuro, consisting of himself on drums, Carlos Eduardo Reyes on lead guitar and vocals, and Miguel Delgado on bass guitar. In February of the same year, they played their first gig in a venue named 'Dark Hole' in Caracas. At seventeen, he was already playing professionally in Venezuela and neighbouring countries with Claroscuro, releasing an EP and two albums with them. In March 1997, they became the first Venezuelan band to be in regular rotation on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, with the music video for their single "Mantarraya". In October 2001, he left the band to move to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
to study
audio engineering
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
* Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
at the
SAE Institute
The SAE Institute (SAE, formerly the School of Audio Engineering and the SAE Technology College) is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit college with campuses and facilities, including license ...
. He was subsequently replaced by Javier del Castillo on drums, with Claroscuro officially breaking up not long after in 2002.
He then went on to work in several
recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
s as an audio engineer/session drummer.
2004–2012: Stereophonics and Capitan Melao
It was at one recording studio, where Weyler was working as an audio engineer in 2003 that he met Stereophonics whilst they were recording their fourth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
(''
You Gotta Go There to Come Back'') for which he played percussion and programmed drums. Weyler later met the band again when they were arrested at a party in Buenos Aires, aiding their release with his ability to speak
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
. In April 2004, Weyler assisted in recording demos for Stereophonics' next studio album, and later on that year
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and a founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of the rock band Stereophonics.
Early life and debut
Kelly Jones was born youngest of three boys for Beryl and Arwyn Jones in the s ...
and
Richard Jones wrote to Weyler inviting him to drum permanently within the band as
Stuart Cable
Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.
Early life
Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...
's replacement. Weyler accepted the offer and met up with the rest of the band to make Stereophonics' fifth studio album ''
Language. Sex. Violence. Other?''. He described learning the band's back catalogue ready for touring as "More challenging than difficult," and his favourite songs from the band's first four albums are "
Local Boy in the Photograph
"Local Boy in the Photograph" is the first single by rock band Stereophonics. The song is taken from their debut album, '' Word Gets Around'' and was released on 17 March 1997. The song reached number 51 in the UK Singles Chart. On 9 February ...
", "
The Bartender and the Thief
"The Bartender and the Thief" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, written by the band in April 1998. The song is the second track on their second album, '' Performance and Cocktails'' (1999). "Bartender" was the first single taken from ...
" and "
Mr. Writer
"Mr. Writer" is a song by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, taken from their third album, ''Just Enough Education to Perform'' (2001). It was released on 19 March 2001, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, number seven in Ireland, and nu ...
".
Weyler recorded a solo album, ''Lagrima'' (meaning 'Tear'), under the persona of Capitan Melao, which was released on April 2, 2007. The project includes contributions from
Phil Manzanera
Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...
of
Roxy Music
Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...
and
Natalia Lafourcade
María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized a ...
, with Weyler describing it as having "dreamy and poetic" lyrics and Latin rhythms.
Weyler's alter-ego translates as 'Capitan' being
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
for 'Captain' and 'Melao'
Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...
slang for "swing, rhythm or soul".
In July 2012, it was announced that Weyler had left Stereophonics, ending an 8-year long collaboration.
The band released a statement saying "Hi folks. We wanted to let you know Javier and the band will no longer be working together. The band enjoyed playing with Javier over the last 8 years and his company was enjoyed by everyone in the Stereophonics family. We wish Javier every success going forward in his new creative endeavours and personal life. (Filling in temporarily for Javier on these next shows will be our friend Sam). We look forward to seeing you at the shows."
Despite his departure, recordings featuring Weyler continued to be released on studio albums released after including; all of ''
Graffiti on the Train
''Graffiti on the Train'' is the eighth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. Produced by the group's lead-singer and guitarist Kelly Jones and Jim Lowe, it was released on 4 March 2013 on their own Stylus Records. It was the first S ...
'', tracks featured on bonus track editions of ''
Keep the Village Alive'' and ''
Scream Above the Sounds'' and four tracks on ''
Oochya!
''Oochya!'' is the twelfth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released on 4 March 2022 on Ignition Records. It is scheduled to be supported by a 2022 arena tour.
Background
''Oochya!'' originally began life when the band were pla ...
''.
Current equipment
*Slingerland Drums - 24x14" kick, 14x12" tom, 18x16" floor tom.
*Brady - 14x6½" block snare.
*Zildjian cymbals - 15" A rock hi-hats, 19" K Medium crash, 20" A Medium crash (x2), 22" A Medium ride & 20" 1970's pang.
*Slingerland hardware.
*Remo heads.
*Vater 5A sticks.
*DW 9000 pedal.
During the world tour to promote the release of Stereophonics' sixth album ''
Pull the Pin
''Pull the Pin'' is the sixth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released by V2 in the UK on 12 October 2007. A Stereophonics newsletter released the ''Pull the Pin'' album artwork to subscribers. The cover was also shown to Myspa ...
'' Javier switched from Slingerland to using Ludwig Custom Maple drums out on the road (though he still uses his Slingerland in the studio). He uses a 22x14 bass drum, 14x10 tom, 16x16, and 18x16 floor toms, and a 14x61/2 Brady Jarrah block snare with all Ludwig hardware apart from a DW 9000 kick pedal and hi-hat stand. His cymbals are all Zildjian, with a 15" K/A hat mix, 22" K custom crash ride (x2), 22" K custom ride, and a prototype 21" A custom crash ride. He also uses Remo drumheads and Zildjian Super 5B sticks.
Personal life
Weyler lives in London. He and his brother Pablo ran in the
2009 London Marathon in support of
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
. In May 2010, he married his fiancée Laura. On 23 November 2012, their daughter Bianca Roxy was born.
Discography
Studio albums
EPs
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weyler, Javier
1975 births
Argentine musicians
Living people
Argentine people of German descent