OmnibusThursday, November 10, 19885
New Potato Caboose rocks
By ALLISON PIXE
Staff Writer
The New Potato Caboose has
made waves up and down the East
Coast with its repertoire of orig
inal and cover rock tunes. Satur
day night the band wiil bring its
danceabie, harmonized sound to
the ArtsCenter.
The New Potato Caboose is a
D.C-based band that formed four
years ago. The band began by
playing Grateful Dead cover tunes,
but its style has developed into an
original sound that combines a
strong rythym section with dis
tinctive four-part harmonies. The
band has recently put more
emphasis on its original tunes, but
sttt performs cover songs at ts
shows. Instead of copying songs,
however, the band makes its own
interpretations of songs by the
Grateful Dead, Little Feat, warren
Zevon, and the Band.
"When we put the band
together in college, the common
ground we had musically was a
selection of Grateful Dead tunes,"
guitarist Don Laux said. "It's how
we copped a groove, but now ifs
become a whole lot more than a
bunch of cover tunes. Our original
music has become an important
part of our show."
The Caboose lineup includes
three guitarists, two drummers, a
bassist and a keyboardist Laux
explained why the band contains
so many members. "The size of the
'Dear John'
By WINSTON UOYD
Staff writer
Now that the election is over,
and Bush has won, the fall schedule
will no longer be inundated with
annoying campaign commercials,
so we can get on to more serious
matters like the new television
season.
You come home from an impor
tant and tiring business trip,
looking forward to your wife's
smiling face and a glowing "wel
come home." But you are greeted
instead with a letter on the
mantlepiece. It begins "Dear John."
You dont immediately panic, after
all, that & your name. The letter
continues, and the panic sets in . . .
and so does the theme song and
some opening credits proclaiming
"Dear John" and something like "in
stereo where available."
in the tradition of "Three Men
and a Baby," here is another
remake of a European product,
but this one is from the English
screen. Popular in the U.K., "Dear
John" is brought to us by Ed
Weinberger, of "WKRP" and
"Cosby" fame. With Emmy
winning sitcom director James
Burrows ("Cheers") also added to
this impressive list, we should be
able to expect some good comedy
and serious .character develop
ment wj"th.wiaftedV
ihg plots' each ' and every week;
band creates a lot of texture," he
said. "Its a big sound but you have
to be careful that you dont step
on somebody's toes or get in the
way of their licks, its a musical
challenge because you really have
to listen.
"We are lucky we were friends
before we became bandmates, so
that makes it easier for us to get
along with each other," he added.
The Caboose members are so
well in tune with each other that
they dont even compile a song list
before each show. They discuss in
between songs which ones to play
next This tactic allows the band
to play a set that follows the
mood of the audience.
"It sort of leaves it open to the
moment," said Laux. "1 mean, if you
play a really ripping rocker and
next on the set list you've got a
slow tune, it just doesnt go over
sometimes.
"we have a jazz approach to
rock. Jazz is open-formated, and
we are too. If we decide to take
an unplanned solo somewhere in
a set, we just look at each other
and take it if we mess up, we mess
up together and it sounds good."
The Caboose isnt new to the
area The band has played in Chapel
Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Charlotte,
Wilmington and Winston-Saiem.
Laux said the band's variety is a
key to its popularity. "Our crowd
promises
without exception.
But I just dont see much poten
tial with this situation, its the
common problem of a one-joke
sitcom. The situation comedy
relies on the main situation,
whether it be surgeons in an Army
hospital, a blue collar family with
a bigoted father, or the conflict
of old and new in a Cincinnati radio
station. But how far can you take
a jilted, lonely guy in a singles
encounter group? Sure, "The Bev
erly Hillbillies" had but one joke
that of displaced bumpkins and
"ALF" is doing well, too. I can even
see some laughs here, but within
a year or two the producers are
going to have to develop John into
someone who has accepted his
new single life and no longer feels
sorry for himself. Can they do it,
and can the show still be titled
"Dear John?"
This raises another problem in
the casting of Judd "Taxi" Hirsch
as John Lacey. A likable guy, but
utterly miserable. He is perfect as
the destroyed ex-husband who
really doesnt seem to fit in with
any particular type of person, but
will he ever be able to get over
his troubles and look satisfied . . .
with anything? John seems to be
quite one-dimensional, a nice man
who. has. been screwed irjif&ut
heXnot the onlyonersicjedtiar
acter. There's the even-woce
ixo.-frSf---.-..
The New Potato Caboose brings its combination of original rock'n'roll and classic rock cover
tunes for what promises to be a danceabie show at the ArtsCenter Saturday night.
is really getting more diversified,
especially in college towns," he
said. "Our cover tunes are pretty
varied, and our originals mix well.
I should think people who are
open-minded would really like the
band."
The Caboose is hoping that
good first season, but
miserable geek, Ralph, whose Bul
garian wife disappeared during
the wedding reception; the sexu
ally obsessed group leader, Louise,
whose voice may annoy you
almost as much as Roseanne BartS;
the perfect counterpart to John,
a straight-laced, intelligent, kind
woman named Kate; and then
who wiil probably be the character
to whom the show may eventu
ally have to shift, Kirk. Kirk (Jere
Burns) is a one-dimensional, uncar
ing, S.O.B. But so was Archie
Bunker, and Alex Keaton to some
extent Alex wasnt the original
center of "Family Ties," but his
character was the most interest
ing to develop. Seeing an openly
callous character and gradually
discovering his human side, as may
be done with Kirk, is more fun than
seeing the consummate protago
nist and center of pity, John, turn
dislikable. Archie became likable,
Alex is a decent guy, and Sam
Malone isn't the chauvinist he
wants the guys at the bar to
believe.
Kirk has already started to
evolve. From the first episode
where he hit on every woman at
the singles group to the next,
yes, he is a boor. For instance, while
cjisgussing .depressed. Ralph,
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with old
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music scouts will like its sound, too.
After four years in the business,
the Caboose says its ready to
make an album.
"We're a band looking for a
recording deal," Laux said. "We feel
like our time has, come. Not only
is it the next logical step as a band,
KIRK: I told him-. You're miserable,
your life stinks. What are you
going to do? Kill yourself?
KATE: Then what did he say?
KIRK I dont know, the line went
dead. Hey, how is the guacamole?
But then Kirk is the only one to
get Ralph a present to cheer him
up.
Kirk, however, can not be
expected to carry a show named
after another character. John
must become someone who we
can like, and not simply the object
of our pity. I assume we can expect
the development of a relationship
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but the way the music business
is going. The musical environment
is conducive to what we're doing
coming out with a new twist
to a classic sound. Bands like the
Georgia Satellites and the Bodeans
are enjoying success by doing just
that."
can it last?
between John and Kate, but as
two sad characters who have had
bad relationships in the past, this
may lead to an unbearable situa
tionWho knows? I'm sure I will
continue to watch the show until
it runs out of steam. Itu probably
make it through one year, and
following prime time's third-rated
program, it will almost definitely
be a hit Lets hope we can learn
to like John and not just sympa
thize with him. But then, with the
competition, ABC's "Dynasty" and
CBS's "Paradise," I dont know what
else I would watch ... I might just
end up studying Econ.
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