The South End (wayne state univ) previews Caravan of Thieves

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Caravan of Thieves kicks off Midsummer Nights in Midtown
Nicole Hayden

For The South End

Updated: Saturday, June 6, 2009


Thursday, June 4, was the start of Midsummer Nights in Midtown—an arts and cultural event which is taking the place of the Detroit Festival of the Arts this year.
Various free programs will be taking place throughout midtown every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all through the month of June.
The gypsy flavored group called Caravan of Thieves was one of the first acts to start off the night at the Detroit Artists Market.
They opened with a song titled “Ghost Writer,” which was written and dedicated to a spirit they call during their séances to gather inspiration for their music.
The song had a lively, upbeat acoustic sound that captivated the audience. The themes of their songs were not run-of-the-mill topics.
The theme of one song was the letter “S.” This song included many words and sounds related to that particular letter. A second song, with a childish topic, was about a boy who turned into a bug.
Another song, titled, “The Butcher’s Wife” included great words of wisdom advising men not to fool around with other men’s wives, and especially men who are skilled at using sharp objects.
They also did a few covers, like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Girl,” by the Beatles, the greatest band ever in their opinion.
For each cover, they managed to make the song their own, and they did it “caravan” style, making the sound deeper with a gypsy flair.
They also sang an interesting version of “You are my sunshine,” that transitioned into “Singing in the rain.”
Through every song they performed, their love for the art beamed through, which made what they were doing so much more sincere. Their vocals had a pure, natural sound, and Carrie, the female vocalist of the group, had a mesmerizing, enchanting voice that hypnotized the audience.
The band consisted of husband and wife— Mr. Fuzz and Carrie on acoustic guitar and vocals, Ben Dean on violin, and Brian Anderson on the contrabass.
Their sources of sound did not stop there though. They clapped their hands, stomped their feet and utilized metal kitchen accessories like soup cans and measuring cups to create a unique sound.
They ended their performance with a bang by singing a song they wrote titled and dedicated to all “Freaks.” It was fast paced with harmonized vocals, as most of their songs were.
It included a couple contrabass solos and a great heart pounding, low pitched beat that made you feel alive.
For all who missed this amazing performance or for any who just didn’t get enough they will be back in August of this year and have also released a new album titled “Bouquet.”