Mina Caputo

Mina Caputo[1] (born Keith Caputo; December 4, 1973) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of New York City heavy metal band Life of Agony.[1][2] Caputo came out as transgender in 2011 and transitioned to female.[1][3]

Mina Caputo
Caputo with Life of Agony at With Full Force 2018
Background information
Birth nameKeith Caputo
Born (1973-12-04) December 4, 1973
GenresHard rock, heavy metal, alternative metal, post-grunge
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active1989–present
Associated actsWithin Temptation, Life of Agony, Freax
Websiteminacaputo.com

Career

Caputo started Life of Agony in 1989 with guitarist Joey Z. and bassist Alan Robert. Drummer Sal Abruscato was recruited soon afterwards. After signing with Roadrunner Records, they debuted with the 1993 album, River Runs Red. Shortly after the release of a third album in 1997, Caputo claimed that her heart was no longer in the type of music they performed, and left the group. After leaving the group, Caputo formed Absolute Bloom. However, the band broke up in July 1998.

Caputo also guested on the track "Free Speech (Will Cost You)", which appears on the album Memory Rendered Visible by the band Both Worlds, released on Roadrunner Records.

Caputo also worked extensively on a solo career in the 1990s, and released two studio albums. Later, she helped to re-form the Brazilian band Freax, which had broken up over ten years earlier. They developed a self-titled album in 2003.

The original line-up of Life of Agony reunited for two sold-out shows at New York's Irving Plaza on January 3 and 4, 2003. The reunion resulted in several more shows and appearances on European festivals, as well as the recording of Broken Valley (2005), the band's first new material since 1997.

In 2003, Caputo formed a group consisting of New York musicians Mike Shaw (Bass) and Dan Platt (guitars), along with Dutch musicians Jochem Van Rooijen (drums) and Jack Pisters (lead guitars) that toured and recorded what became the album Live Monsters (2004).

In 2005, Caputo provided vocals for the song "Tired N' Lonely" on the Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions album.

On May 1, 2006, Caputo released her third solo album Hearts Blood on Your Dawn which was only sold at her live shows, via mailorder through her website, and in the iTunes Store.

In 2007, Caputo recorded her fourth solo album, A Fondness for Hometown Scars, which includes a guest appearance by Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) on trumpet, amongst others. In 2008, she toured in support of this release, with a band composed of Dutch musicians Ryan Oldcastle (guitars), Axel van Oort (bass), and Jochem van Rooijen (drums). The album was produced by Martyn LeNoble and was released in Europe in April 2008 by Dutch label, Suburban Records.

Caputo participated as a guest singer on Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation's track "What Have You Done", the first single (and second track) from their 2007 album The Heart of Everything.

In 2011, Caputo formed a side project with Ryan Oldcastle and Michael Shaw called The Neptune Darlings, and released an album on September 15, 2011 called Chestnuts & Fireflies.[1] The style of this CD has been called "geek rock" by The Advocate magazine.[1]

In 2014, Life of Agony re-formed with Caputo singing, releasing the album A Place Where There Is No More Pain in 2017, and The Sound of Scars in 2019 with Veronica Bellino replacing longtime drummer Sal Abruscato.[4]

Personal life
Caputo in 2009

In July 2011, Caputo came out as transgender.[1][3][5] For a while, her legal name was Keith Mina Caputo.[6][1] "When I was Keith, I certainly wouldn't allow myself to be as flowery or as vulnerable as I do now," said Caputo in a 2016 interview that appeared on the music website No Echo. "I'm a fucking sissy, get over it [laughs]! I no longer have this masculinity or this manhood to protect. This is a transformation I've been dreaming of my entire life."[7]

Discography

Albums

Albums
  • Demo (1998)

Albums
  • Died Laughing (1999/2000)
  • Died Laughing Pure (2000) (acoustic versions)
  • Perfect Little Monsters (2003)
  • Live Monsters (2004) (Live performances)
  • Heart's Blood On Your Dawn (2006)
  • A Fondness For Hometown Scars (2008)
  • Dass-Berdache / Essential Rarities and Demo Cuts (2008)
  • Cheat (EP) (2009)
  • As Much Truth as One Can Bear (2013)
  • Love Hard (2016)
  • The Mones (2020)

Singles
  • "Selfish" (1999)
  • "New York City" (2000)
  • "Why" (2001)

Albums
  • Freax (2002)

With The Neptune Darlings
  • Album Chestnuts & Fireflies (2011)

Guest appearances

References
  1. Diane Anderson-Minshall (November 2011). "Agony and Ecstasy: A heavy metal rocker comes out as transsexual". The Advocate. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012.
  2. "Keith Caputo – A Fondness For Hometown Scars". The Sunday Mercury. July 21, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  3. "Life Of Agony singer Keith Caputo set to become a woman". NME. July 15, 2011. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  4. Magnotta, Andrew (October 18, 2019). "Mina Caputo Says Life Of Agony's New Album Brings "Closure," "Rebirth"". iHeart Radio. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. "Life of Agony's Mina Caputo Talks Transgender Issues". Livewire. April 25, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  6. "Transsexuell: Aus Keith Caputo wird Keith Mina Caputo" (in German). Sonic Seducer. July 19, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  7. "2016 interview with Keith "Mina" Caputo on NoEcho.net". Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
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