Blue Caboose
By: Moose
In December of 2010, three
guys from three different bands found themselves needing something new. These
three fellas are Tony Hall, Sleepy Andy Tracy, and Michael "Marty"
Martin. Tony was in a band called Zen Lunatics, Sleepy Andy in Eazy, and Marty
in Perfect Norm. They got together and formed a bluegrass, folky, old-timey
band called Blue Caboose.
The band's namesake was an
old, blue Caboose near Queensgate, in what I like to call the "Warehouse
District" of Cincinnati.
These three gentlemen, with
one microphone, perform with Sleepy Andy playing the banjo, mandolin and
harmonica, Marty on accordion and keyboard with Tony on guitar and an iron
cooking skillet. All three sing the songs that bring to life a rock and a sway
of that last car - the caboose - pounding the rail.
In a smoky room called
"The Lounge" at The Southgate House Revival in Newport, KY, I sat quietly
and listened to these guys sing originals and covers, all the while the smile
never leaving my face. It was infectious. They have an innate ability to bring
fun to the music that they enjoy playing. Whether it is to a full room, or,
just you, music is what these guys do. They leave it up there on the proverbial
stage for you to listen and enjoy.
They encapsulate a down-home
fun time. The jokes don't stop, and the music seems to never end, and you don't
want it to. The first song, "Sittin' on Top of the World" featured an
awesome accordion solo - yes - an accordion solo. The accordion is their
something extra. Or how can you ever go wrong with playing The Jungle Book's
"The Bare Necessities" (of life, that is)? They can also bring you
back to Cincinnati's Over-the Rhine with a song called "Goin' O'er the Rhine
(Diddle Um Day); which tells the story, with an up tempo melody, of the changes
that have been taking place there.
They slow it down as well with a song called "Tennessee" which made me want to travel back there with a different set of eyes. But, it was when Andy and Marty put their instruments down (except guitar) and the three of them used the instrument they were born with: their voice. Then, I could really tell what these guys were about: simplicity at its finest. Nothing unnecessarily fancy with these guys, just plain and simple their version of Blue Caboosin', folk, country, old-timey, bluegrass music.
On this National Dance Day "The Skillet Song" which, is a must-see, brought the stompin' and clappin'. People literally stopped in their tracks as Tony wailed away on his skillet with a set of drum sticks. They came down off the stage and played to the bar, the crowd, and to their fans.
This is their mix of sound,
some original, some covers. They bring their roots and their hodge-podge of
influences into each song. I asked John
Baker, the owner of a great venue, "The Plain Folk Cafe", how he
would describe Blue Caboose? He said, "I would say that their sound is
like bluegrass, folk, funk, polka, jazz, and jam rock all had a big orgy. Then,
Bluegrass ended up pregnant, not knowing which of the others was the father,
and gave birth to Blue Caboose."
Music is what these guys do.
I asked Tony a two word question that always plays in my head with musicians:
"Why music?" His answer, which show's in Blue Caboose's Music:
"There is no other choice."
That, my friends, gets to
their core. Go ahead and check 'em out www.bluecaboose.net and check out their album,
Modern Limited, and see for yourself why these guys had "no other
choice" than to do what they love. While you're there, do yourself a favor
and head out to one of the many upcoming shows for Blue Caboose. You will not
be disappointed and will surely have a fun time.
