With their debut LP under their belt, the Captains of Entropy have officially set sail. What began as a group of neighborhood buddies in sunny West LA, keyboardist Mike Kanon, bassist Reilly Wareham, and drummer Jason Young found themselves in need of a therapeutic creative outlet as the global pandemic brought life to a halt. Young’s involvement with indie rock staple The Ruse and ongoing solo project Heartour, along with Kanon’s experience as a DJ, gave them a strong foundation for building a diverse discography. Their improvisational jams soon evolved into original material beaming with playfulness, curiosity, and wonder. By the time masks came off and interconnected life resumed, the group was perfectly poised to invite the world into their sanctuary.
The Flea & The Worm positioned this tight-knit trio as endlessly curious navigators of richly textured soundscapes, floating across vast oceans of enchanting rhythms guided by their own internal tides. Now, they are embracing new phases of life, both sonically and personally, diving headfirst into the expressive medium that brought them together not just as friends, but as collaborators and creatives. Recording at the historical Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, they put their own spin on the legendary sounds that inspire them, from 70’s jazz fusion to spaced out 90’s psychedelia, weaving in cinematic flashes of suspense. With their next EP, they continue to blur boundaries, pushing their groove into deeper, more adventurous waters.
In crafting and refining an album to perfection, there are almost always hidden gems slashed from the final track list. While many are left behind in the archives, some are simply too special to gather dust, and “Ball Under Couch” is a perfect example.
Awakening with a luring, fuzzy hum, viewers are swept through the window and into the vibrant home of the visual’s tiny protagonist, Wareham’s dearly departed chihuahua, Rubin. Eyes closed as he soaks up the sun, Rubin lets out a particularly stinky yawn before chasing after the one thing a dog can never resist, a luminous tennis ball whizzing out the door. As he embarks on his animated quest to retrieve it, groove-laden bass guitar and slinking keys set the stage for a fascinating four-legged journey that transcends time, space, and reality altogether.
It took over three months for video collage artist Laura Matikainen to build and arrange the scenes by hand, elevating this eight-minute auditory adventure, recorded in sessions for The Flea & The Worm, into a mind-blowing kaleidoscopic experience. Playing out like a surreal digital scrapbook, viewers follow Rubin through the rhythms of his life, walking through his neighborhood, chewing on bones, and hanging out with the band, while layers upon layers of otherworldly landscapes, creatures, and playful chaos unfold along the way. Though his sixteen (human) years have come to an end, Rubin’s exuberant spirit lives on in this heartfelt homage. As he trots on, tongue out and ears pointed to the sky, he remains a joyful presence, forever warming the hearts of those lucky enough to have known him and those lucky enough to meet him now.
You started out jamming during the pandemic. When did it start to feel like a real band?
It’s kind of funny to think back to when we started jamming; we were dead set on not becoming a band. I guess we thought it might get in the way of what we were really trying to do, which was just to maintain some level of sanity during those difficult times. It took a few years of “not being a band” before it felt like we were onto something. Honestly, it still feels like we’re just three close friends; exploring, experimenting and having fun. It’s almost like we had to become a band to share the magic we were creating in our little sonic laboratory. – Reilly
You all come from different musical backgrounds. How did that shape your sound early on?
We do come from different musical backgrounds, but we are all big fans of improvisational music, and so that became an easy way to connect. We would get together and have these 3 hour jams on and off for years before we even wrote a song or decided to be a band. – Jason
The Flea & The Worm feels really exploratory. What were you aiming for with that record?
It being our debut LP we focused on capturing a raw and live/loose sound which would be an accurate representation of what we sound like. There wasn’t much overdubbing done other than some fun sound efx here and there and nothing was to click. Each song had designated sections where the form disappeared and improv took over. So it’s a very “live” and intentionally exploratory record. – Mike
What was it like recording at Sunset Sound?
We worked in the oldest room at Sunset Sound, Studio One. It’s a small, efficient space and a total head trip to be making music where The Beach Boys, Van Halen, and The Rolling Stones all made these classic records. – Jason
You pull from a lot of styles. How do you keep everything feeling connected?
I think it all feels connected by a common cinematic through line. Being an instrumental trio a lot of our music is designed to feel like a soundtrack or video game etc. So while the genres may change… There is an intention to musically depict different moods or places. – Mike
Since you jam a lot, how do you know when an idea is worth turning into a full song?
The “we’re not a band” mindset we adopted early on led to a creative process that put sonic exploration at the forefront, making songwriting and composition more of an afterthought. We record just about every time we get together to jam, and songs seem to come out of nowhere. The same theme might keep popping up week after week, or one of us might have a tune stuck in our head and realize it’s actually from one of our jams rather than something we heard somewhere else. When the same themes keep presenting themselves, it feels like they’re demanding to be made into a song – it’s very organic, we don’t force anything, we play, and we let the music find its own way. – Reilly
Now that the LP is out, how are you feeling about this next phase?
Since the Flea & the Worm LP came out, it feels like we haven’t skipped a beat. We headed straight back into the studio at the end of 2025 and already have a whole album and a half of new music in the queue that should start to come out later this year. – Jason
How has your dynamic as friends and bandmates changed over time?
We’ve all been friends for over 10 years now, and we’ve been through a lot together. We’re still friends first, and as far as I can tell, we’re closer now than ever. The music has allowed us to take that friendship to a deeper level, and I think our friendship has allowed us to level up the music, too. – Reilly
